To Love a Veela
by Lily Potter-Malfoy
Summary: Draco's a Veela and Harry's bored. Guess what becomes Harry's new favorite research subject? Soon Harry finds out Draco's secret and gets himself entangled in a petulant Veela who's got one more BIG secret that will change his life. Smells like trouble
1. Wizarding AK47

It was raining that day, as it had been every day that week. Harry Potter sat in Divination staring moodily out the window at the giant squid waving its tentacles above the murky lake water. Next to him, Ronald Weasley sat snoring gently, lost in a lovely dream involving a very attractive girl and a lot of silk curtains. Harry himself was trying desperately not to sleep as the last time he had dozed off in this class he had awoken screaming and Trelawney hadn't stopped foretelling his most grievous demise for months.

"Ah…Mr. Potter, I see you are feeling pensive today, the giant squid has often been my own companion when I gaze out through this very glass. Tell me young Potter, what is it you see in the glass?" Trelawney had swooped over to him and was peering eagerly at Harry's scar through her enormous glasses. Harry blinked and quickly came up with some hodgepodge answer that would suffice and the oversized praying mantis of a teacher swooped off to comment excitedly on Parvati Patil's soggy tea leaves.

In truth, Harry was feeling rather mundane as of late, nothing was going on and everybody seemed to be occupied with new and exciting ventures. Hermione was constantly studying for a special Advanced Placement course over the summer, Ron was mooning over a new girl every day, even Ginny was being passed around the dating mill. Harry was desperately in need of something new to do otherwise he feared he would go completely insane.

Lunchtime was the usual affair. Food, some announcements, ("There are _no _other uses of the Astronomy Tower other than ASTRONOMY, all students found…dawdling in the area will be severely punished!" Sinistra had announced ominously) and a sparse conversation. Harry had discussed the more interesting points of breeding cabbage with a skinny boy called Edward Fort, a transfer student from Durmstrang, Hermione had had a rousing conversation on the several nuances of makeup with Parvati and Lavender (actually, Hermione had been little more than comatose through the whole thing and had only roused when Parvati and Lavender realized that she was barely living through their conversation, let alone participating in it), and Ron had not been present at the table at all. From there, Harry's day became steadily less interesting. First block had been Potions, a normally tortuous affair, so much so that it had become boringly torturous. Second had been Divination, then Lunch and then he had Care of Magical Creatures.

"I hope Hagrid's got something interesting for us, I'm so bored I could eat my own arm." Harry said. Hermione smiled encouragingly, the way she did when she thought he was behaving puerile, and patted his back,

"If you're bored Harry then do some extra work, we're near the end of our sixth year and you've never once done extra work. Imagine how bad that would look when you apply to the Auror schools?" Harry scowled _'Extra work my arse! Work won't help me when I'm bored, it might actually just put me into a coma I'd be so bored!' _he complained. Ahead of them Hagrid's hut loomed forth from the darkness of the Forbidden Forest and Harry felt his spirits raise very slightly, there was never anything that wasn't at least a little interesting in CoMC.

Yet the fates were against Harry Potter that particularly soggy day for as the group neared Hagrid's hut there was nothing there that looked vaguely interesting. In fact, the shaggy half giant was nowhere to be seen, instead, a petite woman who looked to be about forty sat glaring disapprovingly at all of them.

"I" she shrieked (Parvati and Lavender winced and covered their ears)

"Am Professor Harris-Fisherman! I will be your substitute as Professor Hagrid (which sounded odd even to Harry) is sick! NOW! Bring out your books and turn to the chapter on Veela! We will read the passage and for homework you have an essay…TWO FEET! You are dismissed!" Harry stood bewildered as his classmates trudged back to the castle. That was it? His interesting lesson, gone! And for what? Veela…stinking Veela,

"Somebody hates me…"

Meanwhile, walking hurriedly up the sloping lawn towards his dormitory, Draco Malfoy, accompanied (and not flanked) by Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson was in a panic. The day had gone relatively well for him, he had woken up and had been able to achieve perfection in his attire without much effort. His breakfast had been enjoyable and his classes had been nothing but the simple mundane drivel they were every day. Then he had gone to that oaf Hagrid's class and that shrill woman had shouted one word that made him cringe. A word that made his insides curl in terror and apprehension. _Veela_. Yes, as many might have guessed by now (either from my obvious plot type elements or from the summary), Draco Malfoy is indeed a Veela.

His father had always told him that he was different from other witches and wizards. When he was five and had to have bodyguards because strange people kept on trying to take him, his father had only told him

"_Draco, you're different and very special and that's why people want to take you. But now you have body guards and an AK47 Wizarding pistol, no one will harm you now._"

When he was ten and a pervert had hugged him just to grope him (obviously and uncomfortably) his father had only told him that he was special and different and that people wanted to take him away because of that. Four more bodyguards were added to his entourage.

When he was fourteen and still small slender and feminine as ever his father had blanched considerably and told him that he was _very _special and _very _different and that people wanted him because of it, that and the fact that he seemed to radiate some kind of hormone that drove people to do strange things. His bodyguards had been fired long ago and he was taught some basic self defense skills, later he learned that they were tricks taught to women to keep away potential rapists. He had been incensed, he was _not _a woman! Yet when he told his father this, Lucious had only smiled and said

"_You might as well be…_" and strolled off.

Finally when Draco had turned fifteen (just last year) his father had called him home on his birthday and explained the entire situation to him in 5 words before apparating to Cannes to spend an afternoon terrorizing Ministry officials.

"_Dtaco, you are a Veela_"

Draco had immediately read up on everything he could find on the creatures and quickly mastered his strange Veela magic. He also learned that he had a mate, one destined for him since before the beginning of time (as the book had phrased it). Draco knew he would find his mate at Hogwarts and that when he first touched them in a certain place, he would know them immediately. It also seemed, much to Draco's great displeasure, that he was a submissive type Veela, someone else would have near full control of him.

"My life can't get any stranger" Draco had said and he repeated it again as he raced up the hill.

Oh how wrong he was.

Lily: I'm doing a HPxDM fic AND a DMxHP fic AT THE SAME TIME. I dunno which I prefer wearing the pants. Hmmmmmm

Review!


	2. Draco Malfoy is a

Lily: Hi-o my lovelies! Thanks for all the reviews; you're all a buncha cool cats in my book! It was the bees-knees to receive so many or one chapter! Wells, no more yapping from me, it's chapter two of "To Love a Veela" Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go see a man about a cat.

Enjoy!

It hadn't been intentional. He didn't mean to do it, but somehow he had and now he was really deep in the shit. Draco had never been much of an aggressor when it came to anything else than beating Harry Potter, but somehow he found himself instigating yet another verbal battle in the middle of a hallway during their break block. Draco had stopped with physical violence somewhere during fifth year when Harry had (finally) had his much needed and spectacular growth spurt. He figured, with his own small-ish frame and below average musculature he'd be better off sticking to nasty words rather than getting the living daylights beat out of him.

Harry himself had been looking rather peevish that day, his eyes dark and his face brooding. It was incredibly sexy (according to every girl that fainted and had to be taken to the hospital wing) and incredibly alluring. Draco couldn't help himself, being a respectable purebred bastard (wow…an oxymoron) like himself; it was too good of an opportunity. And so Draco had muttered something involving half bloods and Harry's mother and while this would have never set him off normally (which is why Draco felt safe saying it) that day Draco found himself pressed against the wall with Harry's very strong forearm crushing his esophagus. Prime position really…for a person who wants to die.

"_Malfoy_" Harry growled, sounding angry and unbelievably sexy _at the same time_ Draco experienced an involuntary shiver,

"If you ever make a comment about my mother again, I will rip out your forked tongue with my bare hands and feed it to a herd of starving wolves. Got that?" Harry had whispered before releasing a shell shocked Draco and walking calmly (and sexily) away.

Draco coughed…twice and then walked away. It was a momentous event in Hogwarts history, the day Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter got into a fight and the Malfoy had been completely speechless.

Now this fight served two purposes. One was getting Draco to realize that Harry Potter could beat him to within an inch of his life (and beyond) with one hand…blindfolded. And two, that Harry was not quite the scrawny guy he had been last year. Growth spurts were all good and well but when there's nothing but skin and some tissue hanging on to very tall bones (like Ron Weasley before he hit puberty) it was a long way from attractive. Harry had not, however, remained skinny. He had always been strong but over the summer the boy-who-lived had acquired an impressive set of muscles. Draco knew, he could feel them when they were flexing against his windpipe. This fact went a long way to lifting Harry's shaggability status in Draco's mind. The fact is that Draco Malfoy had a little bit of a fetish, more like a slight obsession. Skinny boys were well enough and girls should be made by law to be thin but for Draco Malfoy a man had to have muscles to make him really sexy.

It was an embarrassing secret for Draco but he had always imagined himself living in a fabulous flat somewhere in the most fashionable part of wizarding London. He'd be at home cooking or something (no…Draco couldn't cook, maybe reading…yes reading) and a pair of slightly sweaty muscular arms would wrap around him and a slightly sweaty smell would envelop his senses. He would turn around and there would be his loving boyfriend…BUT that was a fantasy. Draco would find his mate, probably a lovely pureblood girl, and settle down and produce many many babies. The only problem being that his father had been dropping strange hints and when Draco had told Lucious of this life plan his father had only laughed and said,

"_Draco…it won't be a pureblood girl you'll settle down and have babies with. But you'll definitely be having babies! Hahaha!" _

Draco was beginning to think that his father was going mad. He shook his head set out to the library; there was some reading to do about his condition.

* * *

The lake where the Giant Squid dwelt was the murky home to many a species. One such species was a newly discovered group of humanoid amphibians called Jerkies, so named because of their rather churlish behavior. Hagrid had found a group of them happily slurping Marsh Tea atop a comfortably mossy rock on the sandy beach surrounding the lake. He decided that they would make lovely study specimens for his CoMC class (but this was only after one of them had bared its enormous pointy teeth at him and proceeded to bite the head off an intrusive frog) and that Harry especially would love the rude little critters. Little did Hagrid know, his young friend had no interest in Jerkies for Harry Potter was now a devoted pupil of study on Veela.

"Did you know," he had said cheerfully at dinner, "That Veela are very rare and that when there is a trace of Veelic DNA in a person they will inherit at least some sort of special power. That's because the Veelas' DNA is always dominant." Hermione couldn't even surpass his knowledge on the subject. She was considerably peeved.

"Harry," she had bit out, looking up from her large book (Veela Through the Ages by Patricia Trent) "maybe you should talk about something else now." Ron eagerly agreed, sick of his best mate's newest obsession,

"Yeah mate, haven't you got anything better to do?" Harry shrugged,

"I was bored so I picked up a hobby," he said, biting into a lovely slice of double chocolate pie. Ron snorted into his second helping of lemon cake,

"More like an obsession. You've been off every night to read up on Veela!" Harry scowled,

"Well it's not as if either of you are any fun! Ron, you've been off shagging every available girl in the school AND probably every available guy! (Ron gasped here and turned red) Hermione you've been studying so hard I'm surprised that you haven't passed out yet! I've been bored and now I have something to occupy my time!" Harry glanced at Hermione's book and raised an eyebrow, the bushy haired girl flushed and averted her eyes,

"Oh 'Mione, that book was fantastic! There's a sequel coming out, I've owled Mrs. Trent and she sent me an autographed copy! It hasn't even been released yet!" Harry sneered, making everybody aware of the fact that the girl who had told him to shut up about Veela was reading a book on them herself. Ron groaned and suddenly lost his appetite,

"I'm off mates, I'll see you later," he grumbled, knowing he would be starving later. Hermione stood too,

"Yes I'm off as well…got to study some Arithmancy" Harry snorted and Hermione scuttled off with Ron swaggering along behind her. Harry sighed and pulled out his newest Veela information book "Can You Spot Me?" by Bertha Baggins and began to read.

* * *

_Veela and Their Mates_

_The best way for a person to know if they are the mate of a Veela is if a lusty beauty jumps them and begins to smother them with love and affection. If one is indeed approached by a Veela in an amorous way then they are most definitely their mate due to the fact that Veela feel attraction for nothing or nobody until their mate is found. For a Veela, finding one's mate is relatively easy. There have actually been many rumors about how a mate is found by a Veela such as by aura (an untruth that was originated by a confused wizard by the name of Earl Hathaway), by the taste of the blood, by an ethereal glow that surrounds the mate, with a dream or a certain charm produced by the bond between the mate and the Veela, etc. Actually a Veela will know their mate by a sudden uncontrollable attraction accompanied by an intoxicating scent that only the Veela can smell. To anyone else a Veela's mate will appear absolutely normal and no visible signs will be present on a mate's body. _

_Veela will not know who their mate is immediately after they hit puberty. Most Veela hit full puberty at age 16 or 17 and then after a few weeks (to allow their Veelic senses to implement themselves) they will begin to pick up their mate's scent. For Dominant male Veela the scent will arouse them and guide them directly to their mate. For submissive male Veela the scent will lead them to their mate and go a long way to comforting them but it will not have as much of an effect on their sexual behavior._

_Veela, around the time they first reach maturity and before they find their mate, emit a certain type of hormone that attracts people to them. This can prove to be very dangerous mostly for submissive Veela because people will sometimes be carried away and attempt to force the Veela. This is why submissive Veela like to find their mates very quickly. As the scent of their mate becomes clearer the more hormones the Veela emits and the more dangerous the situation becomes. The Veela's mate will be unaffected by the Hormone however and this is another indication as to who the mate might be…_

Draco sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. There were so many rules to being a Veela! Why hadn't anyone told him so? A clock rang 7 and Draco realized that he should be going. He stood and began to walk away but bumped into something…or someone, they both dropped their books.

"Sorry…" the person mumbled, leaning over and picking up the falling tomes. Draco was about to tell off the stupid cockroach who dared bump into him and then he looked up into cool green eyes and changed his mind. Those eyes darkened and narrowed,

"So Malfoy, come here to research your condition?" Harry said coldly, Draco blanched and turned to him sharply,

"What condition are you talking about?" Draco glared at Harry

'_Oh no… what if that dolt has found out about me?' _He thought, mind racing. Harry only scowled,

"The condition that prevents you from being anything but a bastard 24-7." He replied, Draco suppressed a sigh of relief and scowled at Harry,

"No, I have not. I was doing my Veela essay so you know, but then you probably wouldn't know what doing homework is like, if your intelligence is any indication!" Draco snatched his book from the boy-who-lived (who raised his eyebrow in a very Lucious Malfoy way)

"Is that so Malfoy? How would you know what my intelligence level is? If you haven't noticed, I am in the same advanced classes you are. Or have you been stalking me to find any sort of indication that I am indeed a bumbling idiot posing as someone reasonably intelligent? It doesn't matter anyway Malfoy; I have better things to do than stand around talking to_ you_" with these last words Harry turned sharply and walked away, robes billowing behind him. Draco scowled and marched out of the library and down to the Slytherin common room.

"When did Potter become such a Slytherin-like Bastard?" he pouted and ate one of Pansy's cauldron cakes.

Meanwhile…

In the Gryffindor common room Harry frowned down at his book. It was still "Can You Spot Me?" by Bertha Baggins but it was…different. Inside all sorts of notes were written neatly in the sidelines, things were circled and several notes from other books were slipped between the pages. Harry's book had been new and didn't have any writing in it, moreover this handwriting was not his own. Harry looked at what was written. Things like:

"_When I find them, I wonder what they'll look like?"_

"_Mating season is coming up 3 months from now; my mate needs to be found before then."_

"_Remind father to procure a separate dorm for me soon, Crabbe and Goyle are starting to eye me funny"_

"_Pansy IS NOT my mate; remember to break it to the Parkinsons' nicely."_

"_My Veela intuition will implement itself in one week according to the book, and then I will know for sure who my mate is…"_

Harry looked through the book and decided that only one person could own this book. He thought back to earlier in the library when they had bumped into each other, this meant that Draco had his book and he now had Malfoy's book. Harry's eyes widened and a smile that could make grown men cry spread across his face.

"Draco Malfoy…" he said, staring into the flickering flame of the common room,

"Is a veela…"

Lily: omg! Another chapter! Actually there are only two so far which is embarrassing but finals are coming up and I have to studyyy! It's memorial day weekend all I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. I've got him

Lily: Hello My lovelies! I'm really surprised! I didn't expect that many reviews for this. Sorry there are so little chapters. I have a problem tho…my computer kinda died on me and there was no way to fix it until just a little bit ago, everyone say thanx to Steve 'cuz he's the one who did the fixing.

Anyways, as to people saying that Harry is being a snarky bastard. Sorry about that, I kinda like Harry being snarky, ya no? I mean, he's a bit of a whiny baby in the series and being snarky and bastard-y from time to time is possibly the only way to make him funny AND dominant and not just some sobbing clodpile who's madly in love with Draco and who acts like a complete wet blanket all the time. Sorry if it was unexpected. But anyways, enough of that! Onto the fic!

"_Veela are a species of magical creature that were once mistaken for demi-gods and goddesses due to their unearthly beauty. Their genetic materiel is always dominant and the mark of a Veela can be seen in many of the very oldest magical bloodlines. There used to be hundreds of tribes of Veela living in Europe but because of the Veela Acquisition movement in 1481 their numbers steadily dwindled until the Veela Preservation Act in 1610 by Minister of Magic Bartleby Hanes. Today very small amounts of near full blooded Veela exist and the species is expected to completely die out within 200-300 years._

_Of the Veela species existing today there are an abundance of half and quarter blood wizards and witches, most from pureblooded families. There was one case of a muggle bonding with a Veela unknowingly and producing a half blooded Veela child (see Kincaid, Johnson). Because of this lack of full blooded Veela, many half bloods inherit near the full power of a full blood. This gives half bloods some strange abilities._

_When a half blooded Veela comes into his/her powers, a mark will appear on their bodies in the shape of a star. This mark indicates the sexual status of the Veela, once the mark disappears the Veela is known to have either consummated their bond or to have engaged in illicit sexual activity (It is very important to note that Veela who do fornicate before they meet their mate will most likely end up dying very painfully a week or so after the act and their mates will be able to go on living without them). Once a Veela has indeed engaged in intercourse, they are known as full "Adults" in Veela society and must act according to the rules set down for Veela of said stature. In one case a Veela by the name of Fiona Folk was not marked as an adult until she was 95 years of age, she died three days later. _

_It is very important to note that Veela are not human though they appear to be. Their biological makeup is very close but not the same. For instance, male and female Veela have very little between them that is not alike. Female Veela have breasts and their vocal chords produce a higher pitched, more feminine voice. The sexual organs for males and females are the same as those of humans except for the ovaries and uterus which are nonexistent in the Veela body. Instead, both genders of Veela have things called Star Sacs which hold their genetic materiel. During the climax of sexual activity this materiel will be ejected from the sac and joined with that of the partner. In the case of more than one male the possibility of impregnation is just as prominent as that of a female. The impregnated male is the one who is penetrated during the sexual activity that the child develops from. This form of Veela magic is not limited to Veela men since the magic permeates the body of the other species and rearranges the composition of it to suit the needs of the fetus. The pregnancy of a male is one month longer than that of a female and is oftentimes more severe. It is very rare for a Veela to give birth to more than one child at a time and twins and the like are very rare…"_

Harry chewed his thumbnail and decided that the entry he had just been reading would prove useful in the future. He had been sequestered in the library for the whole weekend; he had flipped through page upon page of Veela information. His mind was near saturation with facts about Veela. He hadn't read so much since he'd lost that bet with Ron (who would have guessed that Snape wore a pink bathrobe?). He had thought about quitting and dropping his whole Veela obsession several times but he never had. Whenever the thought had entered his head he had envisioned Draco Malfoy's sneering face and he had plowed on.

"No way will I let _this _little adventure escape me…" Harry mumbled as he dragged down another book.

"It's about time I had myself a bit of fun."

* * *

**One week later**

It was very subtle and almost unnoticeable but lately Draco Malfoy had been feeling very…**watched**. When he woke up and was in his own room or showering it wasn't there (thank goodness), but the minute he stepped into the great hall he felt it. Someone in the school was watching him.

Of course, it wasn't as if he wasn't watched normally anyway, it was just that he felt rather like he was under observation at one of those muggle zoos and it was very uncomfortable. Draco had asked Pansy and Blaise to keep their eyes open for anyone they caught looking at Draco more than was normal (which was a hard task because everyone looked at Draco more than could be considered normal). He might not have been stalked since he was ten but that didn't mean he had no fears left over from the experience.

"Draky, why worry? Everyone looks at you, you're absolutely gorgeous. Calm down a bit darling, I'm sure you're just imagining things." Was what Pansy had said a week after Draco had issued his request. Draco frowned and bit into his syrup smothered waffle (recently he had been having strange cravings and most of what he craved was very sugary) maybe she was right and he really was imagining things. Draco shrugged and scooped up another dripping forkful, happily commenting on how much Lavender Brown's hair resembled cabbage.

Across the Great Hall, sitting on a bench facing the Slytherin table, was Harry Potter. He had spent the last week studying. Studying so hard Hermione had begun to feel slightly mediocre. Now he had enough information, enough to confront even Malfoy and trap him so that the little snake couldn't slide his way out of it.

Harry saw Draco heap more syrup on his already saturated waffle and gagged,

"He doesn't realize how obvious he is. Mood swings, sweet foods, always wearing a turtleneck or a scarf? I bet his star mark is on his neck." Harry watched Draco like he had been for the past week and felt his smirk widen as Draco looked around worriedly for what had to be the sixth time in the past five minutes.

"That poor fool won't know what's hit him. Besides, how could he ever guess that the guy he's thought was an idiot for six years would be the one to reveal him for what he is?"

Across from Harry, Hermione and Ron exchanged glances and Ron mouthed at Hermione

_'What should we do?'_ Hermione shrugged and went on eating her bagel. Ron decided that this Veela craze was just some sort of new fad Harry was into and that the fact that Harry had been ogling Draco Malfoy for the past week was because he had something dastardly planned and he didn't want to share it…yet.

Ron had no way of knowing that he was entirely wrong about Harry's new obsession but partially right about Harry's plan. The raven haired teen had gone over all the possibilities of having blackmail against Draco Malfoy. He had envisioned the little blonde doing everything Harry told him to but in the end Harry had settled for a truce. It had been six long years since he had met Draco Malfoy at Madame Malkins' and he was tired of all the sniping they did; he was tired of constantly being in detention because Malfoy did something to upset Ron or because Malfoy screwed up something in class. If blackmailing him was what it took to get Draco Malfoy to leave the Gryffindors alone then Harry would do it.

"Come on Harry, time for Potions" Hermione said, getting up and gathering her things. Harry got up wordlessly and followed, a plan already forming in his gorgeous head.

Severus Snape, Harry decided, got off on the pain of his students. Advanced Potions had been hell on earth, even more so than usual. Snape had assigned them a maddeningly difficult vanishing potion and then watched them stumble over it, smirking like a madman. Harry himself had had little problems as he had gotten very good at ignoring Snape breathing down his neck and concentrating on making his potion. The only thing bothering Harry during the block was the sweltering heat (Snape refused to cast a cooling charm and the door was shut) and Draco Malfoy's constant whimpering. The boy seemed to be in some sort of pain, but Harry had known Draco Malfoy for a long time and the Slytherin was known to fake injury. Harry groaned quietly and added in ginger root before sitting back and letting his cauldron simmer. The potion was clear, just like the instructions said it should be, Harry had done his correctly.

"Is my Potions class so boring that you'll do nothing but sit and admire the ceiling Mister Potter?" Snape's oily voice slid over Harry and he looked up into the mocking face of the potions master. Harry composed his face into a blank and answered neutrally,

"Not at all professor, I have completed my potion and am letting it simmer like the instructions say." Snape checked the potion and billowed away, scowling. Harry let his own smirk slide onto his face as he took out a note he had written while waiting for Snape to begin class. He charmed it to float towards Malfoy and watched until he was sure the blonde got his message before turning and dousing the light under his cauldron.

Draco, sitting at his desk paled considerably. Potter's note had given him a sense of foreboding, what could the raven haired Gryffindor Sex geek want? Draco pursed his lips and a Ravenclaw who had been staring at him fainted, he would go and see what Potter wanted and then he'd tell the Gryffindor to mind his business. There was nothing to worry about. Besides, the idiot couldn't really have found anything out could he?

…_could he?_

Lily: that was kinda long. 4 pages! I'm tired now.

Review por favor

oyasumi


	4. Draco Collapses

Lily: Hey-o peeps and peepettes and welcome back (for those of you still reading). I've decided to update again! Astounding no? Anyways, no more drivel, I'd like to introduce my new beta! Everybody welcome KrisXD! (KrisXD: waves) Serve Honorably and well!

**MyOriginalIntent**: Thanks for the complements but I had a bit of a question …who is Frizzy and what am I taking from her/him?

Aside from that, thanks to all of you wonderful reviewers! You're the reason I could drag myself away from my newly arrived Hana Yori Dango complete set (KYAAAA!) and write this!

BON APPETITE!

Tall, swarthy complexion, bright mysterious eyes, loud and lively but also quiet and brooding; this was Harry Potter, Hogwarts' resident hero. Sitting in Advanced Potions with his own Vanishing potion complete and ready for testing, the Golden Boy looked relaxed. Across the room from him sat Draco Malfoy, sneaking furtive glances at the hero when he was sure the raven haired teen wasn't looking.

If they were ever compared, Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter could be said to be polar opposites. The irony behind their appearances and their natures, to outsiders, was quite intriguing. Harry, dark haired, green eyed, and tall, was seen as innocent and pure, brave and selfless whereas Draco, fair skinned, gray eyed, and petite, was seen as tainted, twisted, and egotistical. Their images were based on their roles in the world, Draco Malfoy the son of a "suspected" Death Eater (Ron Weasley would be the first to tell you that Lucious Malfoy was most definitely "a slimy muggle killing bastard" but was able to cover everything up with money) and Harry Potter, savior of the wizarding world and orphan from a tragic incident that happened when he was just a baby; a hero forced to live with relatives who treated him poorly and constant nightmares of the monster who killed his parents.

In truth, their personalities were not so black and white, if a person truly knew them then they would see beyond the stereotype and into the sparse gray in-between.

In the potions classroom, Draco Malfoy tried to see past everything he thought he knew about the Gryffindor Golden boy for the past six years, to see if a layer of cunning and deceit lay under his brave Gryffindor exterior. Gray eyes narrowed as he tried to detect even a single sign that Harry Potter knew something that could harm him or, more importantly, his reputation.

'_If that fool Gryffindor has found my secret then there's no telling what he'll do with the information. But he couldn't have **really **found anything could he?' _Draco had asked himself the same question hundreds of times and he had denied it just as much but he had a creeping feeling (one that raised the hairs on the back of his neck) that Harry Potter knew something.

The bell sounded from somewhere in the castle (AN: I dunno if they actually have bells, but I wanted one and voila! Presto bell-eo here one is!) and the class began to pack up. Snape stood scowling at them all as they exited. Just as Draco rose from his desk, a shadow fell across him and he looked up into the cool emerald eyes of Harry Potter.

"P-Potter! Don't go around sneaking up on people like that!" Draco cried. Harry smirked in a _very _Malfoy way and leaned in close to Draco's ear,

"I know you got my note and read it. When can you meet me?" Draco felt some funny business happening in the pit of his stomach but he deemed it to be because of nervousness;

"Don't say such suspicious sounding things in a classroom. People might think we're doing something…bizarre." Draco murmured, Harry only stared at him, Draco sighed.

"Yes I got your bloody note Potter. I haven't got much free time but I can pencil you in for midnight in the library tonight." Harry stood up straight and hefted his bag;

"Great thanks _sooo much _Malfoy. I can't wait to see you then!" he said as he walked out. Draco blushed as he saw students staring at him.

"I told you not to say something that sounds so suspicious! Do you want to die Potter?" he yelled at Harry's back. The Gryffindor just turned and blew him a kiss before continuing on his way. Some girls began to giggle and Draco felt himself redden further.

A wide variety of 'colorful' words describing the Boy-Who-Lived ran through Draco's head as he hurried off to his Charms class (which thanks to Harry-flipping-Potter, he was now going to be late for.)

"Stupid Gryffindor!"he cried angrily.

* * *

"Midnight? You're going to fight at midnight?" Ron mumbled through a piece of bread. He Harry and Hermione sat in the squishy chairs by the fire in the common room at 10:00. Harry shook his head, 

"Not fight, just meet."

"Meet?"

"Yeah"

"For what!"

"Things…"

"Harry you're being stingy!"

"It's nothing Ron, don't worry about it…"

"Stingy!"

Hermione began to laugh (like a slightly mad badger only a bit less hairy) and Harry and Ron turned to look at their female friend.

"Oi Ron…doesn't Hermione look kind of scary?" Harry murmured as they looked at the bushy haired girl.

"Yeah mate, why's she got that look in her eye? Like she's plotting something really horrible in her head?" Ron looked shiftily between Hermione and a broomstick lying close to his hand (he was contemplating whether hitting her over the head would stop her from smiling like a female version of the Mad Hatter) Harry rolled his eyes at Ron's obvious thought pattern and asked,

"Hermione…what's so funny?"

Hermione looked at him and her smile widened;

"It's just…well; you're going out at midnight to _meet _with _Draco Malfoy_. It sounds suspicious to me." Harry scowled,

"I'm just going to have a bit of a chat with him, it's not as if we've been shagging all this time in secret and you've just now discovered us. We're not in some kind of crazy fan fiction!" (Suddenly they all look around and shudder slightly) (AN: yeah yeah, I know it was in my other fic. It was a funny line so I put it back where it worked)

"Anyway. I just think it's kind of like a Midnight Rendezvous between two forbidden lovers! I can't help it! You guys would be the perfect…" Hermione trailed off at the sight of her friend's face and began to blush; Harry scowled,

"Hermione, you'll want to keep those kinds of dangerous thoughts in your head or I might have to take aggressive action!" he said. Hermione just laughed and Harry wondered if Ron had the right idea from the start; that broomstick was starting to look _very _promising.

* * *

_The Veela Attraction is not only a boy band from York. It is indeed a real process during Veela maturity. When a Veela is young he or she does indeed give off a small amount of its hormone, this quantity is equivalent to the amount of air a small baby intakes in a breath. When a Veela goes through their maturing stage they give off about 200 times that amount per minute. Humans react to the hormone in varying ways according directly to body weight, mental strength, and physical state (tired, hungry, weak, etc.) If a human who has not eaten in a week is exposed to the amount of hormone a healthy Veela produces in four minutes they will most likely go crazy from lust or die from overdose. Veela cannot affect other Veela using their hormone, only Veela who are mates have any effect with their hormone in each other. _

_The intensity of a Veela's hormone is based on their role in the bond. With a submissive Veela, male or female, their hormone will greatly affect all others (except for Veela who are not their mates) and influences their reasoning and logic. A submissive Veela's hormone is also particularly intoxicating for its mate and when given off during sexual activities will cause a violently aroused reaction from the dominant mate. _

_A dominant Veela's hormone is never as powerful as that of a submissive Veela. Since all dominant Veela are men (no woman has ever been recorded to be dominant) their hormone is not as strong as they are usually the ones searching for their mate and not the other way around. Dominant Veela are not known to be attacked as much as submissive Veela as their hormone is weaker and less influential on a being's logical thought; however the hormone of a dominant Veela can still impair the cognitive abilities of a being._

_The hormone of any Veela can be used as a coercive agent in a process called Veelic Suggestion. In such an event, the Veela will intentionally give off amounts of hormone (depending on how much is needed for whoever they are manipulating) to subdue a being and then they will tell the individual the thing they want done and, because it is a magical suggestion, the deed will be done. When the victim awakens they have no recollection of their experience. There are many side effects to Veelic Suggestion. Headaches, nausea, brief or long lasting mental trauma, memory loss, and loss of cognitive ability (in the case that too much hormone is given off and the victim loses consciousness while performing their task) are among the most frequently experienced. These side effects are the reason why the Ministry forbade the use of Veela Hormone as a component of sleep aid medicines (St. Mungo's Pharmaceutical vs. Ministry case of 1404.)_

_The Veela Hormone was also manufactured in the early 1980's as a narcotic, the widely popular name for which was "HOW" (an acronym for Heir of Wynn referring to the man who discovered the use of the hormone as a component in the drug, Harold Wynn. The heir of Wynn was the name given to Wynn's drug because he died two years after producing it and never had any children). HOW was introduced to a Muggle who mistook "Heir of Wynn" for Herrofwin, when this warped pronunciation reached the Americans they (being the loveable language deficient idiots that they are) mistook the pronunciation again and Heroin was born (the first Muggle to have "Heroin" did actually have the magical version with the hormone in it however, when their wizard suppliers were found by the police the muggles had to discover a new way of manufacturing the drug which was now in popular demand. This is a little known fact of the history of the drug.) _

_The Veela Hormone was once believed to be the gift of the Gods to their "children" in order to attract people so that the radiant beautiful beings could always be happy with people around them. Now that people know better the Hormone can be seen as a blessing or a curse. _

**Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding!**

Harry groaned and closed his book (The Facts Less Known by Amanda Frances) it was 12 and Malfoy had yet to show. The Library was dark and cold, Harry sneezed and shivered,

"You know the castle tends to get chilly at night, you should have worn more than those…what are those? Your pyjamas?" the sneering voice came from the shadows behind Harry. The Boy-who-Lived smirked and stretched,

"Not all of us can afford 400 pound sleepwear Malfoy. I've had these same pyjamas since 5th year and I'm not about to throw them out, at least until they rip." He said. Draco frowned and asked,

"What in the name of Merlin is a _pound_?"

Harry chuckled to himself and turned to face the blond Slytherin.

"Don't worry about…" but he didn't finish his sentence as he finally looked at his archrival and had his breath taken away.

Draco Malfoy, if very beautiful in the daytime, was even more beautiful at night. The light of the moon complemented his pale skin and fair hair in ways the golden sunlight could not. For a fraction of a second Harry was caught off guard. Anybody would have been speechless. Draco raised an eyebrow and advanced on Harry, when he stood directly in front of the taller boy (grumbling in his head that he was barely a head taller then Harry when the Gryffindor was **sitting down**) he crossed his arms,

"Well, you asked me to come here, what did you want to speak with me about," he demanded. Harry smiled and leaned back, Draco had a sudden feeling that he was not going to make this easy.

"_I _asked you to come here? When?" Harry asked, examining his nails. Draco scowled and tried to keep in his anger,

"In **this **(he brandished the crumpled up letter) note. If your memory is still _foggy _I'll read it for you. It says:

Malfoy,

I've something important to speak with you about

This might be of some interest to you as it concerns you directly

Do you want to know what it is?

Harry

That was you 'letter' which, by the way, was written rather tastelessly."

Harry smirked,

"Alright princess, no need to get in a (1) strop with me, I'll hurry this along since you seem to have your knickers in a knot (Draco had turned red and begun to splutter). You see Malfoy, recently you've been acting funny." Harry had gotten up and was suddenly rather close to Draco, looming over him with that unreadable, expressionless mask on his face. Draco gulped,

"St-Strange?" he stuttered, cursing himself for letting Harry Potter scare him.

"Don't be afraid Malfoy, I don't bite. But yes, you've been acting strange. Violent mood swings, abundance of overly sugary foods, constantly wearing something that covers your neck…It all sounded very familiar to me. So I took the liberty of doing a bit of research and found something _very interesting_" Harry had now trapped Draco between his arms, the smaller boy's back was against a wall (literally and figuratively).

"Don't tell me you've finally realized just how incredible I am and have come here to confess to me. Because you know, I'm already quite taken" Draco said nervously. It was only a half lie, his father always used to say that the best lies always held some truth to them. But Draco's lie, it seemed, only amused Harry as the Golden Boy's smirk was becoming positively wicked.

"Well there's no doubt that you've already got someone, being what you are…" Harry said casually, eyes boring into Draco like drills. The blond haired Slytherin winced but quickly covered it with a sneer.

"And what would **that **be, aside from inhumanly good looking of course," Draco said, but inside he was panicking.

'_Shit! Could Potty really have figured it out? Could he have…?'_

Suddenly a tremendous pain ripped through Draco's body and he gasped, doubling over. His insides felt as if they were slowly liquefying, his vision blurred and he fell to the ground.

'_What in bloody hell? What's happening? Oh gods! Oh no…not now! I can't change here! Not in front of Potter!'_

Draco's frenzied thoughts were becoming slower and less coherent; the sight of Harry Potter's worried green eyes were all he saw before everything went black.

(AN: I was originally going to stop it there but decided not to…that would make a really nasty cliffie. KrisXD: Not to mention EVIL!)

Harry Potter was worried. Draco Malfoy's normally pale skin was now deathly white. His breathing was too shallow, his skin too cold. Was the Slytherin dying? Harry decided to pick him up and take him to the infirmary where Poppy could help the fallen boy. But as he picked Draco, who was incredibly light, up off the ground, the boy woke from his unconsciousness and said

"No…don't take me to…Pomphrey. Just…leave." And then he was out again. Harry Potter was left with a dilemma. There he was at **One AM** in the middle of the library with an unconscious Draco Malfoy in his arms. There was only one other person in the whole school he knew he could go to without much trouble who could fix the problem with only some questions asked. He shifted Draco in his arms and ran out of the infirmary.

* * *

Hermione Granger was not a very heavy sleeper (which made it impossible to play nighttime pranks on her as Ron had discovered in 5th year on the eve of April Fool's), she felt someone shake her lightly and she was up in seconds. Looking around wildly, she saw a pair of familiar green eyes. 

"Harry?" she whispered, very confused. Her friend looked very serious, something was up.

"Hermione," he said

"I need your help." And it was then that she noticed the boy in his arms. It was a very pale, very unconscious Draco Malfoy.

"Oh dear." She said. It was going to be a looong night.

A strop is a fight.

Lily: Ok so I made it longer (7 pages long! applauds). How did you like? It took me especially long to come up with that Veela entry, yeah, I was really tired when I wrote it. I wonder where the idea came from though…it kinda just popped into my head. Like insta-noodles in a microwave. The boy band part came from a recent pop music fixation (I spent the afternoon listeing to Brit. Spears, lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff, and N'sync. It was a momentary lapse though, I've returned to normal, Fall Out Boy! WOOOO!) You should all give your applause to** KrisXD **(my fabby new beta) who was a BIG help in the process of refining this chapter and will be a big help in the chapters to come! Thank you very much! Anyways I'm Off! I've just finished downloading something good to watch.

oh, questions, complaints, complements, flames, love notes! AAAAnything you wish to send to me, at the click of a button! I can't wait to hear your response!

Review por favor (so I can work on another chapter and put it up for y'all)


	5. Reasons

Lily: Welcome back, whoever is still reading this fic! This is another chapter, in (I think) a short period of time. Yes, now that this greeting business is over with, let me answer some questions.

**The Zedmeister: **er yes, about that. I may have made it sound as if I meant Harry was a sissy baby all the time. I only meant that he seemed particularly winy in the fifth book. My perception of OotP was 99 percent of the time Harry was PMS'ing. But that's just my way of seeing it. Harry is strong, no doubt about it, and I'm not saying he can't be a snarky bastard sometimes but he's a bit of a wet blanket a lot of the time. JKR is an excellent writer and her series inspires a lot of people like myself and others but she has a bit of a hero complex. The Draco Malfoy of the actual Harry Potter series is a coward and a cruel mindless puppet of his father's whims. He has no backbone, he's disloyal even to his friends, and he's a liar. He's an all around bad guy. Even just observing the Slytherins as a whole one can see that they are generally described as ugly or slow (like Pansy or Crabbe and Goyle). Notice how the bad guys always end up bailing when things get bad, how Harry is always in the right of the situation and how they always end up looking ridiculous in some way or another (the ferret thing in 4th year). Harry might be strong in some ways, how he never cries and how he stands the Dursleys and all that. And I agree that making him the whimpering victim of brutal and unrealistic abuse from his family is a bit over the top in the ooc department since he's endured worse. I think that the characters of fanfiction are all ooc in some way; I don't like the cowardly Draco of the series so I've made him more likeable. That's all. I'm not saying Harry is a weakling, just pointing out his personality flaws (the ones that aren't made evident in the books anyways). I hope I haven't turned you off this fic.

MAN! That was a long note. ONTO the fic then!

_The Process of Veela maturation is an elaborate and painful experience. Veela mature at a certain point in their lives around the ages of 15-17. The very moment their body begins the process is called the "Climax" and it is documented as a sudden sharp pain in the abdomen. Veela will experience pain in varying degrees and, depending on the magnitude of the pain, will most likely pass out. _

_When Veela mature their body's composition changes. Veela are born with pseudo-humanoid parts which is why so many Veela babies are able to pass off as regular humans upon inspection. The Veela Star Sac will begin forming from the decomposed materiel of the previous false organs; this materiel is called Bellum and used to be added in potions to create a very powerful aphrodisiac._

_Potions masters of the old ages, during the Veela Acquisition Movement, used to send out hunters to lure Veela into camps where they would utilize ancient Forbidden Magic and force the Veela through the process prematurely. Once the bodies began maturing, three hours would have to pass for the Bellum to be in a prime state upon which the Veela would be cut open and have the Bellum extracted from their bodies. Those old age potions masters utilized surgical precision wands, still in the preliminary stages back then, to extract the Bellum from the tiny veins in the Veela reproductive area. Veela with their Bellum extracted were unable to reproduce and often suffered from severe depression (if they emerged from the operation alive) before death shortly afterwards._

_Once the Bellum was extracted, it would be tested for potency on animals and then bottled accordingly. The Bellum was added to what was then called "Love Potions" and given to young maidens to drink. Supposedly this, accompanied with a chant, would make them irresistible to their "soul mate". In actuality, since the potions technology back then was not advanced (the most complicated brew was the panacea known as "Adville's Eraser" which was named after Herman Adville. The Adville family eventually formed a company and, with new knowledge of herbs and the like, recreated Adville's Eraser and gave it the name "Advil". Since the magical community was unresponsive to their new drug, they repackaged it and sold it in the form of pills to Muggles), the people did not know that the Bellum was poisonous when ingested. Bellum is meant to be dilated to 1/100th of its original potency and then it can be added to a potion to make an aphrodisiac applicable to the skin. When ingested, it decomposes the sexual organs of a human and eventually kills them. _

_Veela who have excess Bellum will often end up with very large Star Sacs and will reproduce more easily than others; the same is for Veela with a small amount of Bellum, they will have small Star Sacs and they will find it difficult to reproduce. There are genetic diseases among Veela involving Bellum. One is SBD or "Severe Bellum Deficiency" where the amount of Bellum in a Veela is not enough to form a Star Sac or the other organs vital to Veela survival. In this case, the victim must have a transplant from a Veela with the same blood type. The other is a disease called BIS or "Bellum Inflation Syndrome" where there are too many Hydrogen atoms in the composition of the original materiel and upon the beginning of maturation, the Bellum expands. In this case the victim is given a potion called "Anti-Hydrogen Elixir" which will stop the reactions from happening (the elixir is a retarding force) and eventually the Bellum will deflate. _

_Bellum is not only used to form the Star Sacs. It also forms the Regulator (where Hormone is stored after maturation), the Hub (where Hormone is made after maturation), and the Phial (channel through which hormone is released into the body after maturation. Veela react internally to their mates with unconscious release of Hormone into the body, this hormone regulates body functions and is the source of Veela ability of fast healing and youth. Internal Damage done to a Veela will be automatically repaired with the Hormone. This is why SBD is such a deleterious ailment). These structures are very malleable but the formation of them is painful. The connection of the nerves and veins to the membranes of the structures causes pain to signify their activation. The Phial being pushed through the diaphragm is especially painful but if there was no pain then there is a cause for worry. There is a very rare disease called PMD or "Phial Malfunction Dystrophy" this is caused by lack of a certain vitamin called Erotin (it is found in fruits and is undiscovered by muggles. Erotin is vital to any growing Veela. When maturation starts, Erotin has already been stored and glucose in large amounts is needed. Veela are known to eat more sweet things in the weeks preceding their maturation.) In PMD the Phial is either very weak and begins to atrophy weeks after maturation (resulting in slow death) or the Phial is unable to form in which case a Phial donor must be found. _

Harry shut the book ("The Facts Less Known" it was very helpful with obscure Veela information and also provided an in depth explanation of many things). If what was written there was true, then Draco Malfoy was now going through his Veelic Maturation. Hermione opened the door to her room and motioned Harry to put his book down and get moving.

Harry suddenly remembered the task he was doomed to perform; the potentially embarrassing endeavor that involved carrying an unconscious Draco Malfoy down into the common room where, if any of their Gryffindor housemates were as nocturnal as he was, he could easily be seen. Harry carefully walked down the spiraling stairs to make sure he didn't drop the bundle in his arms. Finally he reached the bottom and he poked his head out, to see (to his relief) that no one but Hermione was there.

The Common Room was empty so late at night (or early in the morning) but Harry still found it hard to swallow the fear that someone would see them. So there he stood, the Gryffindor Golden boy, cradling the Slytherin Prince Draco Malfoy in his arms while Hermione spread a duvet on a couch. The worst part was the fact that Harry almost didn't mind holding the little Slytherin in his arms, but that was a strict **ALMOST**; nothing could make Harry forget that, though he was taciturn at the moment and thus very agreeable, he was still Draco Malfoy the boy who'd tormented him for the past 6 years.

"Alright Harry, lay him down there. Let's see what's wrong with him," Hermione said, straightening to a standing position. Harry laid the pale Slytherin on the duvet and stood back, his eyes didn't leave the blonde on the couch. Hermione was giving him a funny look but Harry, thickheaded man that he is, didn't notice. It wasn't until Hermione, blushing bright red and stuttering, (very unlike her) cleared her throat loudly and informed him that she was waiting for Harry to…remove Draco's shirt.

"'MIONE!" Harry roared (well as loud as you can roar while whispering), quite red in the face himself, "Why should I have to...to…to strip him?" Harry looked down at Draco as if the unconscious boy was the plague and he wanted to get **far **away. Hermione (being the sharp witch she was) noticed that the look in his eyes was a complete 180 degrees away from the look he'd had just a few minutes earlier.

"You're not stripping him! You've just got to take off his shirt so we can have a look!" Hermione couldn't even look Harry in the eye now. Maybe she was doing this 'looking' for more reasons than one.

"Well why can't YOU do it!" Harry whispered fiercely. Hermione opened her mouth but then paused, obviously searching for an answer. Harry smirked,

"Well, if there's no reason _you_ shouldn't be…" he started to say, but was cut off by Hermione,

"I can't do it BECAUSE I happen to be a GIRL…It's not proper! HA!" Hermione said triumphantly folding her arms over her chest and eyeing Harry as if to say "Top that!".

"Damn…she remembered…" Harry muttered, swallowing his embarrassment and, comforting himself with the fact that nobody in their right minds would be awake at this hour. Further more no one would even walk down into the common room, since the bathrooms were on the same level as the dormitories. Finally he bent over to unbutton Draco's nightshirt.

It was only when he had reached the fourth button and was bent quite close to the unconscious blond that someone could be heard stumbling down the stairs from the boys' dormitories. Harry froze in place and snapped his head to look at Hermione who seemed to be in a bit of a shock. Both of them turned to look at the stairs to see a sleep ruffled Ron standing confusedly scratching his head.

"Er…Good evening Ron…" Hermione said nervously, Ron only smiled sleepily and seemed to be unruffled by the bizarre image before him.

"You're undressing Malfoy Harry, did you know?" Ron said conversationally as if he walked in on his best friend undressing their worst enemy every night

"You're a bit slow at it though, been starin' at me for about 5 minutes. Better get back to taking the Ferret's shirt off, you know how fussy he is…" Harry could do nothing but stare as Ron blathered on. Hermione turned to look at Harry, a question in her eyes. Harry shrugged as Ron came closer,

"You know mate, he isn't half as annoying while he's asleep." He walked over and unbuttoned the last few buttons of Malfoy's night shirt.

"There you go Harry. Well, I'm off to bed mates, see you in the morning!" and with that comment Ron dropped to the common room floor, fast asleep.

"Ron…Ron…Ronald Bilius Weasley…oi Herms..d'you reckon he's been sleepwalking this whole time?" Harry asked Hermione as he prodded the prone form of his best mate with the toe of his beslippered foot. Hermione rolled her eyes and levitated the sleeping redhead.

"I'll put him back in bed, you just stay here with Malfoy until I get back" with this statement, Hermione marched up the stairs, levitating the sleeping Ron ahead of her. Harry looked down at Malfoy and the unbuttoned night shirt, and then his eyes traveled slowly down to the blonde's exposed pale abdomen.

"When you wake up Malfoy, I'm going to introduce you to a little thing called the Sun; perhaps then you won't be so pale! You look like some kind of ghost…" Harry said; the random comment was more to himself than to the sleeping Slytherin. Harry tapped his fingers on the arm of the couch and hummed impatiently. The silence of the room was really starting to get to him. Talking to Malfoy was like talking to a dead person. **'No Harry! Stay away from those thoughts!'** Hermione was really taking a long time.

"You know Malfoy, it's all your fault. If you hadn't been prancing about the place, flaunting your Veela-ness then I would never have been sucked into this whole mess. I wonder if you do these kinds of things on purpose…"

"You know Harry, talking to unconscious people is about as unhealthy as talking to yourself…" Harry whirled around and gave Hermione, who had just come back down, a sheepish look crossed onto his face. Hermione walked over and gazed at the prone form of their longtime enemy,

"Hmmm" she poked softly at Draco's exposed abdomen.

"He's quite soft…like a girl almost" she muttered, Harry rolled his eyes;

"Hermione!" he cried in embarrassment. The bushy haired girl didn't look up from her ministrations and continued to poke and prod the pale boy lying on the couch.

"You know 'Mione, I'd think a proper examination requires more than a bit of poking here and there" Harry commented, Hermione raised an eyebrow but still continued.

After some time, she straightened and nodded her head,

"Malfoy is a Veela." She stated. Harry couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes again,

"Well very bloody brilliant 'Mione, what else did you discover, that he's got really light hair and happens to be an absolute prick?" he said sarcastically. Hermione shot him a scathing look,

"I was _going _to say more **Potter **so if you'll kindly shut your trap…" Harry quickly shut up. When Hermione spoke like that, he knew he'd gone too far.

"Well, like I was saying, Malfoy is a Veela; and like the book said, he's going through his maturation. Since there was pain then I suppose none of those disorders are occurring so I think you should take him to your room and watch over him tonight." Harry looked at the enchanted clock above the mantelpiece and was shocked to see that it was 3 AM. Suddenly, the will to fight left him and he only nodded weakly. Saying his goodnight to Hermione, he lifted Malfoy in his arms and proceeded to the dorm. Unaware of the fact that Draco was grasping loosely onto his robes, or that Draco was leaning into him as he was carried.

"Well Malfoy, and I never thought I'd be saying this, welcome to Gryffindor Tower." Harry mumbled sleepily. He put the unconscious Veela on his bed and covered him before sitting back in a chair he transfigured from one of his old hand-me-down shirts (and uncomfortable chair so he wouldn't fall asleep).

"Good Night Malfoy, sleep well…" Harry said and leaned back in his chair. Soon the green eyed Gryffindor Golden Boy was fast asleep.

**Lily**: WELL! That's all my friends. I hope you like, I have to get this to you between work since I GOT A JOB! (explosions, pigs fly, chickens talk, etc.) HEY! It's perfectly believable! But anywho, I hope you like this and I'll bring y'all more in the future. I think I really will start my Veela Handbook since that sounds like fun to write. Review please! I'll love you forever!

**KrisXD**: Hey! Well as Lily said before, we've got lots planned for ya'll. We've started planning on a sequel for the story. (dances) Thank you to all of you who've reviewed. Keep up the good work! Much confusion, sexual tension, and insanity to ensue in the next update of To Love a Veela.

Lily...again: About my Veela inserts, I hope it's all understandable. If you find any inconsistencies...plz tell me!


	6. The Morning After

Lily: YATTA! It's almost time for the event of the year! WOOOOO! It just so happens that it's the release of HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE! SO in honor of this, I have foregone my nightly relaxation (since I work from 3-8) to write this for y'all. You'll have to thank the marvy beta for this as well **KrisXD**, for her faaaabulous work and for going through this all with me on such a short notice. (ROUND OF APPLAUSE)  
KrisXD: bows

So, without further ado…chapter (damn I wish it was two) six

Update: This is the beta version of the chapter. I hope that any mistakes were fixed. I finished reading HBP at 2 am and I AM SO SHOCKED AND APPALED AND OMG! O well, _some _shippers will be happy. JKR just totally took a big swerve in their direction, I felt kind of like I was reading a fanfiction while I read HBP (especially on that part with Draco!) sooo, I think most of the errors have been fixed; only thing to do now is start another chapter. OH! About the continuation of this fic…obviously it clashes _completely _with the new book. Well.

I don't care. I plan on finishing it and disregarding the new book (which, now that I think on it, came out at the very queen of inconvenient times). Oh well, perhaps a Pre-HBP should be added to the summary. We'll see

The first rays of sunlight were just peeking through the sheer scarlet blinds in the Gryffindor boys' dorms when Draco Malfoy woke up. It was not the relaxing emergence from the deep darkness of sleep that most people experience; it was the sudden jarring from sleep that one often experienced when awaking from a nightmare.

All Draco had to do was flex his fingers to know that something was entirely wrong, about himself and his surroundings. He awoke on a bleary morning after having, what his very fuzzy memory told him was, a VERY bad night. His body felt ravaged, almost like that time when his mother had tried to cook curry (her first time, since the house elves usually did the cooking) and had forced him to eat it (he was sure he had released hundreds of pounds in runny fecal matter along with a couple ribs) (KrisXD: EWW!) . . Draco stretched and felt his duvet shift around him; it was then that he noticed that his duvet was _not _his duvet but something heavy and, Draco would shudder about it later, _cotton_. He sat up, figuring that someone had played a joke on him and changed his bedcover while he slept, and opened his eyes to a sight he only saw in nightmares.

"…the hell!" he cried as his eyes took in his surroundings. Red and Gold swarmed into his vision and threatened to overpower him. They were the sickeningly _Gryffindor _colors that Draco had never thought looked good on anyone, and never would.

"Alright Draco…maybe Crabbe and Goyle, well not those to oafs, but maybe Zabini got a little bored in the middle of the night and decided to…" Talking to yourself is not a good sign Draco! but he never finished his frantically whispered sentence as a groan emitted from a bed across from the one he was in (since it was now quite clear that it was not his own). Draco felt the blood drain from his face as a head of fiery red hair popped up from beneath tangled red and gold covers. It was a, thankfully still sleeping, Ronald Weasley.

"I must be in some sort of…twisted nightmare," he whispered, hands clenching and unclenching in the bedspread. He quickly stopped and shuddered. Oh how he hated cotton (it always gave him the most unsightly rashes)!

"Mrrrgh…" a loud groan brought Draco's attention to a lone figure lying slumped over in a straight backed chair that looked _very _uncomfortable.

"Potter?" he murmured as he recognized the shaggy head of dark hair and the glasses that hung from his ears. As if to answer Draco's whispered question, Harry's head lolled to the side and Draco could see his sleep-lax face.

"What in bloody hell is happening" Draco said absently. Over in the bed by the window one of the boys gave a particularly loud grunt and a moan and Draco flushed bright red; perhaps it was time he left.

Carefully he slid out of-what he assumed was-Harry's bed and touched his feet to the ground. It wasn't cold, quite opposite to the floors down in the dungeons. Quietly he slid around Harry's still form and made his way to the door, but when he got there he stopped and looked back to the dark shadow that was Harry sitting asleep in that uncomfortable chair. He felt his stomach give a small jolt at the sight of the slumbering boy-who-lived, his cheeks heated up as he observed his strangely positions body. Suddenly Harry moaned uncomfortably and shifted positions (though this did not help) in his chair. Draco, glad for a distraction from the new feeling burning inside him, rolled his eyes at the boy as if to say "what an idiot" and picked up Harry's wand (which had apparently fallen from his hand and was lying on the ground close to his chair).

"_Mobilicorpus_!" he whispered and Harry's body jerked upright (which looked eerie since his head still lolled limply); carefully he moved Harry to the bed and laid him there. Draco almost smiled but caught himself, scowling he addressed the sleeping Harry,

"Well then, that's all you get. Serves you right though…I mean honestly, sleeping in a place like that. You're lucky _I _was here, you might have frozen. NOT that I care!" Draco decided that he had done enough babbling to last himself at least a month and, blushing unknowingly, exited the room.

Behind him Harry Potter opened an eye and smiled.

* * *

Ronald Weasley was not an idiot, he could occasionally be rather dim but he was not a full blown Crabbe or Goyle. Being thus classified as neither very clever nor very stupid, (just a healthy blend of both) Ron could tell that something was greatly off with his night. Firstly there was the lack of pleasantly scented covers he always spelled for himself before he slept, secondly there was the complete absence of Mr. Tillingsworth, his ragged long eared stuffed bunny. Lastly, and most importantly, there was his terrifying dream; it had been the most terrifying thing. He had dreamt that Harry and Hermione were in the common room, casually undressing an unconscious Draco Malfoy. Even worst was that he, Ronald Weasley, had gone over and helped for a spell before passing out on the floor. 

(KrisXD: Luckily Mr. Tillingsworth was ok. He was merely on a date with Ginny's stuffed bear Boo. They were having a tea party! ;;)

As he sat at breakfast, contemplatively shoveling food into his mouth, he tried to work his mind around the big mystery that was last night. On either side of him, Harry and Hermione sleepily picked at their food and, had Ron been a bit more observant, he would have noticed their lack of morning "cheer".

As Ron pondered the mysterious workings of his dreams, across the great hall Pansy Parkinson was dealing with a mystery of her own.

"And you say he crept back in around four…in the morning!" she said wonderingly; across from her Blaise Zabini nodded solemnly, a piece of egg paused on the way to his mouth.

"I saw him as I woke from a particularly erotic dream about ice cream, cherries, and Dea…" Pansy (after giving his an incredibly suspicious look) pushed a hand in his face to tell him that he'd better shut up.

"Blaise, I don't care who you're having wet dreams about, tell me more about Drac---oh…." Pansy's last words trailed off to an astonished (and not entirely un-lustful) "O" for walking through the doors of the Great Hall at that moment was Draco Malfoy.

While the Slytherin Prince usually accumulated many admirers and made the occasional Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw faint, it was _nothing _near to the immense reaction he got today. Heads from all over turned to stare openly as he breezed into the Great Hall. His perfect blonde hair seemed to glimmer with an unnatural sheen, his pale flawless skin glowed from the inside out, his eyes were mesmerizing, he was like…

"Sex on legs…" breathed Blaise, licking his lips. The heads in the Hall that were _not _turned obsessively on the blond were those of Dumbledore and Snape; Hermione, Harry, Pansy, and the Creevey brothers were the only students. Snape and Hermione because they had a bit of forewarning and had thus taken the proper preventive potions, Harry and Pansy because they seemed completely unaffected by whatever it was that drew others naturally, the Creevey brothers because their eyes were for Harry only, and Dumbledore because…well because he was Dumbledore.

Draco sat between Pansy and Blaise like he did on most days and began to heap sugar and syrup onto some pancakes, unaware of the fact that hundreds of pairs of eyes watched his every movement.

"Draco..." Blaise purred, his voice husky and suggestive and to Draco very unsettling,

"Is that new hair gel you're using? It looks _really _good…" Draco rolled his eyes at him and snapped,

"I haven't used gel in my hair since third year you silly nit, why would I begin again now?" Blaise could only sigh and feel his heart swell at the thought that _Draco Malfoy _had actually _spoken _to him. Pansy prodded her best friend on the shoulder and whispered to him,

"Draco, I think you need to take a look around the hall," her eyes shifted to the oozing heap that was Draco's breakfast,

"And please put away that slop or at least get it out of my sight, I might vomit!" she snapped. Draco rolled his eyes at her antics but took a look around the hall anyway and was shocked to see almost everyone in it staring lustfully at him, some in varying states of lustful stupor.

"Er…I know I'm very good looking and all, but could you please go back to eating your own food instead of eating _me _with your eyes? I can't have you all staring at me as I eat." His words were met with silence as the people continued to stare. Draco stood up and slowly began to walk from the room, Pansy followed, eyes followed him as he exited and only when he was a good fifty feet outside the doors did the normal morning chatter resume.

Draco sighed and slumped against a wall,

"Damn you ancestors!" he muttered, Pansy looked puzzled but she brushed it off as footsteps alerted them to the arrival of another person. Draco looked up into twinkling blue eyes. It was Professor Dumbledore.

"Good Morning Headmaster." Pansy said, eyes shifting between Draco and Dumbledore who still held each other's eyes.

"Good Morning Miss Parkinson. I trust all is well with you?" Pansy nodded and Dumbledore smiled.

"Then would you please go to the dungeons and help Snape to deliver some very necessary potions to the infirmary?" though they were phrased as a question, Dumbledore's words had been an order. Pansy nodded and set off to her task, Dumbledore turned back to Draco.

"Mr. Malfoy, I believe we have some things to talk about." He said, Draco swallowed and nodded but in his head he kept repeating.

'_Oh shit!'_

It was definitely going to be the strangest day Hogwarts had seen in a very long time.

Lily: Ta-Raaaaan! I know it's short but I'm going to get Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince at 12 (OMG I'M SO EXCITED!) so I had to bang this out for y'all between work last night and tonight and cooking and cleaning. The next chapter will be longer, I promise, and with another Veela thing. About those though, some people ask me if I get all my Veela info for myself or what. Truthfully, I make it up as I go. I do whatever makes the most sense. I figured that some of the stuff in Veela fics lately was ridiculous so I wanted to go by my own facts. Perhaps this will redefine Veela for people who want to write Veela fanfiction in the future because honestly, I like to see more quality in the information people learn in the process of a fic. It may be fictional, but it's better to have well based fiction than loose and wild fiction. I don't mean any insult to anyone who writes other Veela fics, I'm just trying to be as original as possible. I hope you all like it.

Review please.

KrisXD: Squee! I hope everyone is looking forward to getting their Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince books. I now I am. But don't let your love for reality steer you away from this fan fiction. If you do dare to stray off, who knows what will happen!


	7. He's in Danger

Lily: WOW! Originally I had planned this to be put up like a week ago, but since I had problems finishing it, well, here it is now. Sorry about that. Some words to the reviewers and I'll be off

**Lunelwe**: tres sorry bout the hinties, I'll keep those in my head (except for the little comment down below, but it isn't a spoiler or really a hint so it's all good). But that's mucho unfortunantes considering you won't be able to read the new book…til August! I would cry since people tend to go a bit crazy after finishing and then go about divulging the secrets of the newest book whether one wants to hear it or not. Well, this fic has nooothing to do with HBP so it's good to read it if you want to.

**Dracoz-sexc-hunni**: yeah now that I think back on it, it really was like reading one giant official looking fanfiction. I wonder if some secret society of shippers captured JKR and wrote it in something very close to her style.

**Makalani Astral**: didn't he ask why? Ohhh yes…he didn't. Ah…well, he might have had a startling revelation I neglected to insert. Either that or the shock of the red and gold was the only thing that registered; he hasn't yet remembered something else quite necessary.

**Draeconin**: er, yes, sorry about that. Perhaps we can say that it was nearing summer and thus the sun rises rather earlier. Either that or the authoress confused some times…hehehehehe oops

Thanks to all you guyz, my reviewers who I didn't address directly; I hope y'all enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed plotting and writing it.

* * *

Draco Malfoy, despite his countless mischievous endeavors, had not been in the Headmaster's office for quite a long time. As he sat nervously on one of the plush chairs before Dumbledore's immense desk, he was intent on focusing on the many strange doodads that were situated in the room. Though his eyes carefully followed the movement of one whirring, banging thing, his mind was running through every excuse he had to wriggle his way out of the mess he was in. 

While normally he was always claiming to believe that the old headmaster was a fool, he knew that Albus Dumbledore was quite the clever wizard. He would know the signs of Draco's…condition before Granger had time to turn one page of research material. It was this very fact that kept Draco nervous and fidgety as he awaited the arrival of said old man to his office.

On a stand near a window, Draco glimpsed a pile of lightly smoldering ashes and would have ignored them for a much more interesting pile of moving silver (or so it seemed to be) had the pile not given a rather high pitched squawk and began to move. Draco practically fell out of his chair at the sudden sound, which did nothing for his already frazzled nerves and raging heart beat.

"Oh Merlin, no more bizarre things this morning!" he moaned, watching as the pile of ashes shifted. Had Draco's mind not been driven into overload with excuses for Dumbledore, the shock of his earlier morning, and the dangerousness his fellow students presented to him, he would have recognized the shaking pile of ashes for what it really was.

The squawking became significantly louder and Draco had to press his hands over his ears; the pile of ashes gave one violent shake and out popped one of the ugliest birds Draco had ever seen. (Note: The Phoenix's song is supposed to be soothing…unless there's danger threatening it or those it cares about… Lily: yes...sorry about that, I thought shreiking sounded like fun, o! my beta has returned!)

Curiously, the blond haired Slytherin crept closer to the-now silent-bird whose large black eyes were fixed on him. When he drew up level with the stand he examined the featherless creature still surrounded by ashes,

"Well…" he said softly, "Aren't you the ugliest thing I've ever seen. What're you doing, screeching like you're being murdered?" the bird gave a squawk as a reply, its eyes glittering like gems.

"Ah I see you have met Fawkes, Mr. Malfoy, and it would seem that he rather fond of you." Draco spun quickly to see Dumbledore standing behind him smiling. Draco turned red and, inwardly cursing his fair skin, marched to his empty chair and sat down.

Dumbledore chuckled and lowered himself into his own chair and folded his hands,

"Mr. Malfoy I believe there is something about your heritage you must tell me. And make no mistake, if it is not you who tells me, it will be someone else; the meaning of this, Mr. Malfoy, is that I will find out in the end." Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes met and held Draco's as the Slytherin scowled back.

"Very well Headmaster" Draco muttered, "I will tell you, but my father will not be pleased."

Dumbledore only smiled again,

"Lucious seldom is." At this Draco's scowl deepened and he began to tell his tale.

* * *

Ronald Weasley was a 16 year old boy. He was a _healthy _16 year old boy. A healthy 16 year old boy who had healthy 16 year old boy's dreams. His dreams were always about very attractive women wearing very, very little and sometimes he had the occasional fantasy about one of his classmates. And so that is where we find him, in Divination, having a rather raunchy fantasy about one of his classmates. Yet it was not only Ron whose mouth hung open as he dreamed about said classmate, most of their Divination class were lost to wild fantasies (rather "wet dreams") of the same classmate. 

It was Draco Malfoy who danced in nothing but a flimsy silken scarf wrapped around his slender waist in Lavender Brown's dream. It was Draco Malfoy who lay strapped to a large bed with fresh whip burns all over his pale body in Seamus Finnegan's dream. It was Draco Malfoy who wore an illegally short skirt and a tiny shirt and who sat cross legged on a stool beckoning with one elegant finger in Dean Thomas's Dream.

Even Trelawny, in all her mantis-eye glory, was caught in a fantasy involving Draco completely naked besides the rather interestingly placed crystal ball he had and was looking into the future with. The odd thing was, she'd never had Draco in her class before, nor was he in the room at the present moment. 'Oh, who cares! He's predicting our long and happy life together…' she thought sighing to herself.

It was because of these wildly sexual fantasies that Harry Potter spent Divination going over his potions essay and occasionally shoving Ron towards the window so that his saliva did not destroy his essay.

It was while Harry was in the middle of reading the last paragraph of his essay that Ron sat bolt upright and excused himself to the bathroom; he held his robes loosely around his body and walked ,in what looked like a very painful fashion, out of the classroom. Harry grimaced in disgust as he knew what Ron had just run out of the classroom to do. His suspicions were proved correct when Ron walked in a lot more comfortably and sat down looking immensely satisfied.

Harry sighed and put away his essay, he couldn't concentrate anymore anyway, and not after a particularly disturbing thought involving Ron in the bathroom…he shuddered.

It was going to be a long and very bizarre day.

"It was dark and there was nobody there but him. He was naked already so I didn't have to do any work. He was just lying there on this vast bed. And the bed wasn't any of that corny silk and lace business; it was just a very big bed with this absolutely wild duvet. And so he looked at me and he did this thing with his eyes so I went over and stood at the foot of the bed. He did that smirking thing of his 'cept now it just looked so sexy! And well, he lay back and spread his legs. Then he started making all sorts of noises and he gets all red, then he looks at me and said 'Well, are you going to join in or just stay watching?' and then I…"

It was the twentieth Draco Malfoy fantasy story Harry Potter and Hermione Granger had heard being told that night. In the Gryffindor common room there was a large group of people sitting around and retelling their best Draco Malfoy wet dreams. Currently Seamus was heatedly retelling his best fantasy to an eagerly listening audience among which Ron was sitting as well looking incredibly lustful.

Hermione shook her head looking half disgusted and half worried,

"Harry, when do you suppose the hormone will wear off and everyone will start being normal again?" she murmured to Harry who was doing his Potions homework. Harry shrugged,

"I reckon he's given off quite a large amount of Hormone since he's just gone through it now. Since there's so much hormone in their systems they should be normal once they've ingested some sort of food. I can't imagine Ron'll be very happy when he's back to being himself. I mean…he's not exactly Malfoy's best friend." he replied absentmindedly. Hermione sighed gustily and put the last flourish on her Arithmancy essay and got out her own Potions.

"_Lasting effect:_

_In the case of a Veela who is going through their maturation and releasing their hormone for the first time, it is very dangerous for regular human beings or even some magical creatures to be around them. Veela give off a deadly amount of hormone for up to 10 hours after full maturation and are unable to control this release. Veela have been known to avoid any contact (human or otherwise) after the hours of their maturation due partly to their hormone release and partly to their natural instincts for self preservation. Veela are both emotionally and physically vulnerable after maturation as their hormones take some time to get settled and their bodies are still tender from the maturation transformation. They experience emotional turmoil mostly because of a chemical imbalance occurring between the **new **hormone their body creates and the **old **hormone their body tries to integrate with it. This is the cause of such a large hormone expulsion after maturation. The body is trying to rid itself of the majority of old hormone (this hormone is referred to as Child Hormone) in it to make way for new hormone. _

_The effect in humans from such a large amount of hormone can be deadly if there is not a large amount of humans present to absorb the hormone, if none of the humans have eaten then they will most likely fall unconscious (this is the extent of the hormone's effects if there are humans in large numbers). Humans who absorb the hormone will behave under its influence until they have ingested a substantial amount of food to help with the chemical imbalance the hormone creates in the brain. Mostly foods with sugar in it will help due to the fact that glucose is a major component in the Veelic hormone and is the one thing that can successfully and completely absorb it; this is the reason why Veela must ingest large amounts of sugar-rich foodstuffs before their maturation, they are broken down and then used to create the new hormone. _

_Humans exposed to Veela less than 10 hours after maturation (unless they have taken the proper measures or are immune) will experience a weaker version of the Veelic Suggestion. This is called Involuntary Seduction and will not desist until the human has ingested food. This kind of seduction is indeed involuntary because, unless the Veela approached humans with a mind to put them under this suggestion, the Veela's body is producing hormone rampantly in a natural process that cannot be stopped. The "infected" humans will behave as if they are in love with the Veela whose hormone they have absorbed. Oftentimes they have fantasies and dreams involving said Veela and then they proceed into a stage known as "Carnal Desire" where their "love" for the Veela evolves into insatiable lust which will lead them into pursuing the Veela and forcing themselves on him/her. Carnal Desire is the main danger to submissive Veela and less to Dominant Veela; as submissive Veela tend to be physically weak (of a slender build and lacking much muscle structure even in males) they have a hard time fending off any attackers. Carnal Desire can be halted only with a sedative potion or spell because the hormone has ingrained itself into the bloodstream and will not leave until it has been broken down by the white blood cells. After this the human will most likely be very hyperactive for a time and then they will become very weak depending on how much hormone they absorbed. This is because the only product of the hormone's broken down structure that can be used by the human body is glucose (the rest is read by a human's body as waste and will be expelled from the body). There is a large amount of glucose in a Veela's hormone but it is burned quickly and when it is gone the body experiences a crash."_

_

* * *

_

Draco Malfoy was mad, no, he was _furious_. Dumbledore, old ranting lunatic that he was, had decided to take measures in his own wizened hands and control Draco's "little problem". Draco, being a Prefect, already had his own bedroom so that was not a problem. He had assigned Snape to the task of making a large amount of potion that would help dull the effect of Draco's hormone for now since he could control it (mostly) at other times it was unnecessary to waste thousands of Galleons' worth of potions materiel on it. However it was none of these that had Draco Malfoy stomping around the halls like some sort of enraged child. What had Draco very angry was the fact that Dumbledore deemed it completely necessary and proper (AN: clause…gah! US history 1A it kills me!) to tell the whole school that he was a Veela.

"Stupid old man!" Draco grumbled as he walked towards the Great Hall.

"What's got you all in a tizzy Drake?" a silky voice said from the shadows, Draco spun around to see Dean Thomas smirking at him and raking lustful eyes over his body. Draco fought down a blush at the blatant appraisal and raised an eyebrow at the Gryffindor before turning to leave…and then bumping into the chest of a large seventh year Ravenclaw he had seen only briefly before.

"What's the matter Draky? Leaving so soon?" the Ravenclaw cooed, arms reaching out to grab Draco. He slipped out of the bigger boy's reach and collided with another body…female. He looked around to see Lavender Brown with the Patil twins and-here Draco's face contorted in disgust-Ronald Weasley behind her; all of them were leering at him as Thomas and the Ravenclaw had done.

"What the bloody hell do you all want!" he said, a feeling of panic was rising like bile and Draco was having a hard time squashing it. Ron stepped forward and ran a long finger down Draco's arm and the Slytherin jumped away and looked disgustedly at the still leering Weasley,

"What the bleeding hell has gotten into you Weasel!" Draco cried, viciously rubbing the spot where Ron's finger had touched, as if Ron's poorness was transmittable by touch and he was trying to wipe it off.

"Nothing has gotten into me lately," Ron said, giving Draco an especially suggestive leer

"But there's something I know I am going to get into…" Draco blanched and backed away.

"You do know that you're all quite insane right?" Draco said, panic was beginning to show in his eyes and his voice and he hated it.

"Weasel, you don't know what you're saying…none of you do!" Draco suddenly noticed that much more than the Gryffindors and that one Ravenclaw were arriving. He saw at least five more Ravenclaws and even seven Hufflepuffs. All of them had the same lustful glint in their eyes that was beginning to scare him.

Dean Thomas laughed suddenly,

"Oh we know what we're saying; I think you're the one without a clue. So I'll tell you that we're saying; we **want **you." he recited his little rhyme all this while advancing slowly on Draco who was looking around wildly for an escape. They were surrounding him and it was clear what their intentions were, Draco felt a desperate scream bubbling up in his throat and he clamped his mouth shut; no matter what Malfoys did not scream.

Dean Thomas was close now, as he reached out to touch Draco's face, the Slytherin suddenly slammed into his body and attempted to force his way through the crowd.

"Out of my way you useless, mindless perverts!" he cried, pushing desperately at the seemingly endless crowd of bodies. Hands grabbed at him, ripping his robes and yanking his clothes out of place, his hair was tousled and somewhere along the way someone had split his lip. Draco groped for his wand and realized with a start that it wasn't there with him. It was then that he realized where he had left it and cursed. He was grabbed roughly by the arm (where there was sure to be a big and painful bruise soon) and thrown a few feet. Draco desperately looked around for an opening and, miracle of miracles, he found one, where he landed sprawled on the floor. He scrambled to his feet and dove for his only way out. Once he was out of the pit of people he got up and ran. Behind him he heard the shouts of the group and the feet that followed him, but he didn't care, he needed to get away…to safety.

"_PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" _he felt the spell hit him and he went down and felt his body skid a few feet into a hidden alcove. Dean Thomas approached him smirking with the rest of the mob looming behind him.

"Now now Malfoy…hasn't your mother told you that it's rude to run from friends?" he said, waving his wand casually in his right hand. Draco could not speak or move; he wanted to scream but could not. Dean leant down and removed his torn robe, and then he began to slowly unbutton Draco's shirt as the group watched hungrily. It was only then that tears began to fall from Draco's eyes. He felt Thomas's hands on his body and he knew it felt wrong, he knew these hands were not meant to touch him this way, he knew his mate would not be pleased and he knew he must stop it. Draco felt the spell on his body relax slightly and threw back his head and let loose an earth shattering scream. Dean scowled and covered his ears and raised his wand,

"_Silencio!" _he cried, and immediately Draco's screams ended. The Slytherin kept on trying to scream for help, his body began to fight the spell and to convulse violently.

"I see you aren't going to make this easy for us…" Dean said,

"_Petrificus totalus"_ again Draco could not move. The tears leaked out faster now. He felt Dean's hands on him again and with his whole body he wished someone would come for him. That someone would save him.

In the library Harry Potter's head snapped in the direction of the exit and he suddenly rose from his chair. Ignoring the cries from Hermione, he walked out and set out for the great hall.

Meanwhile, Draco was in a state of complete panic, his tears began to soak his shirt as he felt Dean's fingers caress his neck and exposed shoulder. His eyes searched the crowd to find the familiar leering faces of Millicent Bulstrode and Theodore Nott for a moment he felt anger at his so called comrades.

'_When this is over, before I die, I will make those perfidious infidels wish they had never been born' _he swore. Dean was reaching for the zip of his pants and Draco screwed his eyes shut, this was it, he would have never believed he would have his virginity taken forcefully from him by a Gryffindor.

"_IMPEDIMENTA!_" Draco's eyes snapped open as the spell was cast.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" Draco saw the feet of the crowd scatter and suddenly Dean Thomas was no longer molesting him.

"_Stupefy!_" that voice was very familiar, Draco's panic fogged mind tried to process who his savior was.

"_Incarcerous!_" Soon Draco could see the still bodies of his attackers lying on the ground. Dean, who had been hit with the Impediment spell, looked up at his attacker and scowled,

"You know, if you'd just waited, you would have gotten a go!" he said. Somewhere above Draco's head someone answered,

"I wasn't waiting for a _go_. I don't much fancy attacking someone and then rendering them helpless for my own pleasure. I'm more of a person who likes consent before I go ahead and molest a person." Something in Draco's mind seemed to click right before a pair of anger filled bright green eyes met his own.

"Are you alright?" he asked, voice a little softer than the one he'd used to speak to his housemate. Draco was still under the silencing spell but even if he wasn't he still wouldn't be able to talk. Relief washed through him and, as the spell on his body began to wear off, he was wracked with sobs. He was embarrassed at this but couldn't make himself stop the relief was so great. Even if he was crying now in front of people in a most un-Malfoy fashion, even if he looked undignified with his clothes half torn and his lip bleeding, and even if the one who saved him was Harry Potter, he could not stop himself. All the fear and the panic he was feeling poured out in a rush of hot tears that he knew he would be embarrassed to admit to later on, none of these people should ever see him cry.

He felt arms encircle his trembling body and felt himself being lifted up and cradled against someone warm.

"Don't cry Malfoy," so it was Potter who held him, "You know you'll regret it later."

The last thing he remembered was being held carefully as Harry began to move out of the Great Hall before he fell into the blissful black realms of unconsciousness.

Lily: O.O aaaugh the turmoil! See, Harry really is nice. He isn't very snarky all the time! Ok, so how was it? I dunno if I got the beginning down very well. I actually had to refer to a lot of my own Veela materiel from earlier chapters to compose this Veela entry, just so I didn't have anything that canceled out anything else. Omann but this took me some time to come up with. And I've had to work a lot from 4-12:30am! I've been so tired! And then I've had to volunteer at the hospital early in the morning before work so I've really had no time lately! I know man, summer, it's pathetic. I have work today actually and I'll be there for a looonng time. AUGH I'm tired! Anyways, please, if you have any questions, feel free to email me or write it in a review.

update! My beta...HAS RETURNED! yey!

Yeah well, I hope you liked.

Review plz


	8. That Time

Lily: O.O I can't seem to find my beta anywhere, perhaps she's off to Soccer camp or maybe she's still reading the new book. But until she's back I'll keep on posting I suppose. Anyhow, I am getting excitedness sinced WARPED TOUR is coming up! And I am going this year wit mah peeps and we're gonna have a blassst! But anyways, reviews...

**Hikaru**: this is for you, enjoy, I tried getting it up very fast

**Danish Pastry 28**: Harry is being sweet, but I suppose he isn't doing it very purposely is he? Ok yeah, he might not know he's being very nice, only that he's doing his job. More of it in this chapter

**Lunelwe**: molestation isn't ever very fun though…Harry is being very sweet in these past few chapters actually.

For everyone who reviewed, thankyou very much! I lurv you all! And I hope you enjoy this! Sorry about the long hook up wait thus far, but I'm moving as fast as I can without spoiling it. Remember, I don't want to have an insta-love type thing; I want them to really like each other first. But it's coming, you'll see (wicked smile).

* * *

The place he was in was very warm, if a bit on the itchy side. He felt quite safe, if he told anyone the truth about it, and that was a very good feeling. He couldn't quite remember why he had been so terrified before and his brain told him to sleep a little more before waking up and facing all the things he had blacked out from. He smiled, though he didn't know it, and curled up tighter and felt his knees lightly scrape someone else's body. He froze, why was he in a bed with another person? 

Draco Malfoy awoke with a start, his eyes snapped open and he looked wildly around himself before groaning and flopping back down (albeit softly so he didn't wake the sleeping person next to him) onto the bed. He, the Prince of Slytherin, had once again found himself in the Gryffindor dorm and in Harry Potter's bed.

For a minute the reasons for this repeat catastrophe escaped his sleepy groggy mind, but then it all came back to him in a terrifying rush. Dean Thomas, Weasley, Bulstrode, and Nott; all of them leering at him, Thomas's hands all over his body. Draco shuddered as he thought of everything that could have happened to him had Harry Potter not come to save him.

This thought presented him with another problem. Harry Potter. What in the name of Salazar Slytherin's long black beard had compelled the guy to save Draco Malfoy, his longtime arch nemesis?

"Chocolate Frogs…" Draco smirked, it seemed as though Weasley was back to his usual one track self over in his bed. Draco looked at the bed he was laying in and at the person on it. His eyes widened and he felt a violent blush tint his skin. There lying innocently asleep was Harry Potter. This was not very embarrassing but it was not everyday baggily clothed Harry Potter lying sound asleep next to his arch nemesis, it was half naked Harry Potter sleeping next to Draco Malfoy.

Swarthy smooth skin was exposed for Draco's eyes; muscles that were currently relaxed but still rather evident were bared. Draco swallowed and felt his blush get impossibly darker.

'_Well...' _he thought nervously as he watched the rise and fall of Harry's chest _'at least now I can say that I know Harry Potter sleeps without a shirt on.' _

Suddenly Harry groaned and, much to Draco's horror, rolled over. Draco suddenly found himself trapped underneath Harry's arm and part of his chest. If Draco was capable of blushing any harder than he was now, he would have started to glow. Harry's face was inches from Draco's own, his warm heavy body covered Draco's like a blanket.

'_Oh Gods…' _Draco thought '_this can't get any more embarrassing!'_

As if some trickster God had heard his thoughts, Harry suddenly moved again and wrapped his arms around Draco so that their bodies were spooned together.

"Oh for Merlin's sake!" Draco muttered. His blush, which had begun to fade, came back full force. Draco tried gently pushing Harry's arms from around his body but they only tightened around him.

As Draco kept on attempting to dislodge himself from Harry's arms, the Golden Boy was having a rather strange dream.

* * *

_**Dream**_

_Harry's body felt very strange. He was indeed standing in the middle of a vast flower field where hundreds of white climbing roses bloomed. The field had no beginning or end he could see and, as far as he could tell, he was alone. _

"_Where am I?' he asked aloud, green eyes sweeping the vast semi-emptiness for any other signs of human life. _

"_You are in a realm that is neither here nor there, Young Mr. Potter" a voice said, and Harry whirled around to see a man where previously there had not been one._

"_Who are you" he asked the man who proceeded to smile serenely in a way that strongly reminded Harry of Dumbledore. _

"_My name is Hiathos and I am a Veela." Harry took a step back and looked the man over once again to see that he was indeed incredibly beautiful for a man. _

"_I take it then that you are a submissive full blood?" he said, trying to sound nonchalant. Hiathos laughed lightly and suddenly there were two chairs and a little table set with tea beside him,_

"_Right you are Mr. Potter. Please come here and drink with me. I shall explain things to you" Hiathos was already pouring tea into two cups and Harry thought it would be churlish to refuse such a kind offer. _

_When they were both seated and Harry had taken a sip of his tea (or that is what he assumed it to be) Hiathos began to talk. _

"_Mr. Potter, you are in a place that cannot be defined as existing or not existing in the real world. This place has no name and no other purpose but for you and I and one other to enter when the time is right. Yes, I am a Veela, and ancient Veela sent to this place when the Veela race was first created. I am here to be your guide in the ordeal that is to come, I have played this role for many great beings and I will help you as I see fit. This is the noble task that was laid for me by the stars many thousands of years ago. _

_You Harry, are a man with many a burden upon your shoulders, from childhood you have been the One who will bring peace and safety to all of our kind and your kind. This is the reason you were chosen to be the Other to one of my kind…" _

_Hiathos paused and took a delicate sip of his tea, Harry drank from his own cup as well and sat back slowly in his chair._

"_I am well aware that I am destined to end what Voldemort has started. I've heard it and felt it since I was eleven years old. But what do you mean I am destined to be the Other of one of your kind?" Harry's eyes met and locked with the beautiful eyes of the Veela and Hiathos smirked._

"_I believe you already know young Mr. Potter, what I mean…" suddenly the chairs and table were gone and Harry stood with Hiathos on the vast field again; yet this time Hiathos had someone next to him. This new arrival had their head down and was wrapped from head to toe in white silk, Hiathos looked at Harry again._

"_This is the one who you shall call love_

_Yours is a pairing ordained from above_

_Your birth and Destiny have sealed thy fate_

_And the one before thee is thy eternal mate_

_Thus this union is invoked by me_

_The heavens have spoken_

_So mote it be" _

_Hiathos ended the spell and pushed the figure towards Harry. _

"_I will be seeing you soon young Mr. Potter, take good care of your counterpart."_

_Harry lunged forward to catch the falling person and only glimpsed Hiathos's smirking face before the Veela vanished. Harry's arms closed around the person and he tumbled to the field of roses. The intoxicating scent of white roses suddenly hit Harry in waves and he hugged the figure closer to his body. It seemed they were struggling, Harry let go and they person rolled from his embrace. The cloth was gone and long shining flaxen hair was exposed to his eyes. Suddenly Hiathos was back and frowning slightly. _

"_No No Mr/ Potter, this shan't do. You can't know anything yet; you are not ready to know who it is you are destined for. _

_A night's crusade through lands unknown_

_Darkness gone where truth's light shone_

_Identity revealed in unready eyes_

_Let this go where forgetfulness lies_

_A mistake has been caused by thee_

_And so it is erased_

_So mote it be."_

_Hiathos looked mildly irritated and suddenly the person was no longer there. _

"_Mr. Potter, your eyes were not meant to see that just yet. It is too unfortunate that I shall have to erase this from your conscious mind. When you awaken you will have no recollection of this dream. Now, I believe it is time for you to leave, someone is trying to wake you up." _

And suddenly Harry was awake, his eyes wide and unfocused. Vaguely he felt someone trying to break the grip he had on them but his mind refused to comprehend anything just yet. From the lack of sunlight he had to guess that it was either very late at night or early in the morning before the sun came out. Harry noticed that the struggling had stopped and then he realized that he was in his bed…_with someone else_.

"ARGH!" he groaned, untangling his arms from the person and reaching for his glasses.

"Here you are Potter, you're blind as a bat without them…" a familiar voice said. Harry took the offered glasses and put them on before staring and blinking owlishly at a rather disheveled Draco Malfoy who sat glaring on his bed.

"Malfoy?" he said, puzzled; but then the previous night returned to him and he groaned.

"Well Potter, what do you have to say for yourself? Molesting me like that in your sleep?" Draco looked flushed and he averted his eyes from Harry; it was then that the Gryffindor realized that he was bare-chested. Ignoring this embarrassing aspect of his bedtime "clothing" Harry got off the bed and stretched,

"Speaking of molestation…" he said tiredly,

"Are you all right?" Draco's blush was back with a vengeance and he could only nod. Harry yawned and proceeded to do push ups on the ground in front of his bed. Draco smirked,

"What are you doing Potter?" he asked, barely containing a laugh at how foolish the Golden Boy looked.

"Exercise Malfoy, you know? That thing that keeps people healthy? Gives them muscles?" Harry said sarcastically, Draco watched in fascination as the muscles in Harry's arms and back bunched and loosened.

"It looks rather easy…" Draco commented,

"It's not…" Harry shot back. Draco sat in silence some more, watching as Harry exercised.

"Why'd you save me?" he asked suddenly as Harry switched from push ups to crunches.

"Because…" Harry said between sit ups "I couldn't just let you get raped now could I?"

Draco sat back a minute before speaking again,

"But you hate me don't you? I mean…we hate each other right?" Draco was horrified to hear that it was not a statement of fact but rather a question.

"Malfoy," Harry said,

"Hate is a work reserved for the vilest of the vile. You and I do not hate each other, far from it. The animosity between you and I is a byproduct of your father's narrow minded beliefs that he force fed you from childhood and my House loyalties and beliefs. You and I have not hated each other since the end of 5th year. What we have is a stupid rivalry and harsh words, nothing more. What kind of man would I be to let a fellow student get raped and I just walk by it with a smile and a 'good day to you'?"

Draco flinched slightly at Harry's bluntness and squashed the hurt that had come from his words.

'_He's right though Draco…' _he said to himself,

'_You haven't hated each other since…that time' _Draco shuddered. He remembered the event that had changed the "relationship" between himself and Harry Potter as if it had happened the day before.

It had been Fifth year…

**FLASHBACK**

The caretaker of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had been presented with a most appalling sight one fine Sunday evening as he slunk about the castle paroling. As he and his cat Mrs. Norris went about sniffing for trouble, he heard a rather loud banging noise and a squeal coming from the direction of the kitchens. When he had reached the enormous painting and had caught his breath he had seen Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter covered from head to toe in oozing rotten pies. The squeal, he had guessed, had come from Mr. Malfoy since he was prone to being rather girlish with his bodily hygiene and he _was _currently covered in a disgusting mess of old food.

The following morning both boys had received a night's detention along with Crabbe and Goyle (who had been inside the kitchens eating at that late hour and had stupidly walked out when Filch had arrived). The detention was served with one Rubeus Hagrid who would be taking the boys into the Forbidden Forest to find some sort of rare weed that would help in curing a recent rash of the Krup that had hit Hogwarts. And so Harry and Draco were put together and Crabbe and Goyle (who were too stupid to do anything on their own so Hagrid, the only one big enough to control them if they got out of hand, had to go with them) went with Hagrid.

"You know Potter; this is all your fault!" Draco had grumbled as he searched the underbrush for the pointy Geramund flower. Harry raised an eyebrow but said nothing. The two boys walked in silence until Harry noticed suddenly that the path they were taken seemed awfully familiar. Suddenly he remembered where he had seen this path before.

He had been in his second year and he had been running desperately from a hoard of gigantic spiders intent on eating him and his best friend.

"Er…Malfoy, I don't really think we should go this way…" Harry said, nervousness seeping into his voice. Draco smirked at him,

"awww, is little Potty scared?" he sneered, purposely going faster into the thick forest.

"Malfoy we need to stop NOW!" Harry urged, following the blond haired Slytherin," Draco threw a contemptuous look over his shoulder at Harry,

"Why? What could we possibly encounter here? We're not deep enough into the forest for something like a bear, centaurs won't bother us, and it isn't the full moon so the werewolves keep to themselves." He said, Harry stopped and said very calmly,

"There is a nest of giant spiders just about thirty meters from here…" he waited for a reaction. Draco began to laugh loudly and Harry tensed, _that _was not good.

"Malfoy! Stop laughing, they'll hear you!" Harry's eyes had gone wide and his ears strained to pick up the tiniest noise.

"Come on Potter _Giant Spiders' nest_? If you're going to scare a body, try to do it more creatively. Seriously, there are no Acromantula in the Forbidden Forest, why would you think _that_?" Draco was still chuckling when Harry heard it. The sliding of man hairy legs against trees and dirt, the clicking of many sharp pincers, they were coming.

"Malfoy, I suggest you stop giggling and start running…" Harry whispered, edging towards an opening in the clearing they were in. Draco seemed to have sensed something very wrong with their surroundings because he stopped laughing.

"Potter? What is that noise?" he asked, a betraying quiver in his voice. Harry glance at him before they reached the edge of the clearing,

"A group of very big spiders." He replied just as a hairy leg burst out of the trees and snagged Draco's cloak. The Slytherin screamed as he was lifted in the air and flung about. Harry managed to grab onto his arm and release him from his cloak before setting off at a run through the forest. His one arm brandished his wand through the foliage, a beam of light cut through the darkness. His other hand gripped Draco's as they ran blindly away from the spiders who they could hear crashing after them through the woods.

"THERE!" Harry cried, spotting a hidden hollow in a large tree. He and Draco dove into the cave like haven and Harry cast a shield around them. Any sound they made could not be heard and if the spiders tried to reach into the alcove they would be burned.

"Let's just wait here…" Harry murmured, green eyes alert as he watched countless hairy legs pass their safe haven.

Some time passed and the spiders still searched close by; next to Harry, Draco began to shiver. Harry raised an eyebrow,

"Are you cold?" he asked the Slytherin.

"No…" Draco lied. Soon his shivering was violent and Harry got exasperated,

"You are cold you twit! Take my cloak!" he said, thrusting the garment at the blue lipped Slytherin. Draco opened his mouth to protest but found that he was too tired to do anything other than accept. Soon he was enveloped in Harry's large warm cloak and the chill that had begun to get painful receded.

"Potter..." Draco said, Harry 'hmmed' in response. Draco plowed on,

"Aren't you…you know cold?" Harry shrugged.

"No, I have a jacket on." And that was the end of that.

That night the two enemies sat together in silence, sharing each other's body heat without complaint. Eventually the spiders left and Harry and Draco emerged unscathed from the ordeal though they found no flowers. As they walked back to the castle neither said a word about their ordeal to the other, Draco deflected Crabbe and Goyle's questions and Harry told Hagrid that he had simply been unsuccessful in his search because of Malfoy's constant whining.

But it had been a climactic night in the relationship of the two enemies. It was the day that their hatred ended and left room fro something new to begin.

**END FLASHBACK**

Draco remembered being very uncomfortable about his doubts on his relationship with Harry. He wanted to know if they were still enemies, Harry had left him alone and he had left Harry alone. Did this mean that they were friends now? Draco refused to think of them as that. And so he descended into a pattern of nastiness towards Harry and his friends and for some time it seemed that their old hatred was back and the same as it used to be, but sometimes he felt those green eyes on him and all they showed was disapproval.

Harry had finished his exercise and was sweating. He raised an eyebrow at Draco and said,

"Listen Malfoy, you and I both know that we are not sworn enemies any longer. You have slept in my bed two times, one of them with me in it. The things we fight about are stupid; I have more things to worry about than some petty rivalry. So I am going to offer you now a truce between you and I. If you leave me alone I'll leave you alone. No more stupid bloodline comments, money comments, scar comments. If we do this, then we can finish our time here without killing each other." Harry held out his hand and Draco looked at it for a moment before shrugging and taking it.

"Good then" Harry said before turning around and rifling through his trunk for something. He reemerged holding a familiar object out to Draco,

"My wand!" Draco exclaimed. Harry raised an eyebrow,

"I wondered how you got through the day without it," he said and Draco blushed realizing that he hadn't even noticed its absence. Harry brought out a towel and a toothbrush,

"Well then Malfoy, I have to get ready now. You ought to get going; people will start waking up soon." Draco rose and smirked,

"I never would have thought I'd ever be sneaking away from Harry Potter's bed in the wee hours of the morning after a nighttime rendezvous," he said mischievously. Harry scowled at him and threw a sock at his head,

"First of all, it's nearly 6 in the morning, no 'wee hours' here. And secondly, you make this chance meeting sound like some sort of date not the rescue mission it was." Draco smirked and turned to go before turning back around and walking to Harry.

"Er...about last night…ThanksforsavingmefromThomasandthem…" Draco said in a rush before turning around abruptly and exiting the room. Harry smirked and absentmindedly twirled his toothbrush in his hands. He took a deep breath,

"He smells like white roses…" he said thoughtfully. Why did that fill him with a feeling of nostalgia?

Harry shrugged and walked out of the common room not aware that he was smiling all the way.

Lily: Hm? What's that about them getting together? Hahahahahahahahahahha! You can't beat sleeping in the same bed together! Anywho, this is unbetaed as U can't seem to find my own beta for now. I hope you liked this, I do believe we are leaving the safe realms of a hate X hate relationship. I think it's time we moved along into some romaaance.

Did y'all like Hiathos? I hope you did since he'll be here for a bit. His name is pronounce HEE-AH-TOSE. It's always good to have someone (or something) helping along the flow of things. Though his rhyming incantations were annoying to make up. Anyways, I hope you liked, again, questions or just randomness, y'all can email or review me! I lurv you!

Review plz


	9. The Beginning

**Lily**: YEEYYY! I have a beta again! I was beginning to get worried! Anywho, Again I have some reviews to respond to!

**Hikaru**: (bows) you are the ruler of requests my friend, I give you this because you asked so nicely for it. Sorry about how long it took though, I got writer's block halfway through.

**AloraBraken**: believe me…I want a kiss too. Actually, I want to do their romantic scenes so bad that I dream of them and think of them while working at the hospital. Omann!

**Lunelwe**: ohohohohoh (suggestive wink and giggle) _sleeping in the same bed leads to many other intimacies…..hehehehehehehehehehehehehe!_ I hope you enjoy this one!

**Yana5**: ohmann, have you any idea how many times I've just wanted to randomly switch the dominance? I think I'll write one where Draco is dominant, but for this one, Draco will be submissive. Tres sorry. I hope you'll still read this though!

**Danish Pastry 28**: your name is by far the easiest on my Word spell checker! Butenyway! Yes, I was lying on my mattress thingy one day and decided we _must _have a third party! And so Hiathos was born! His incantations took me like…ten minutes; I'm such a loser when it comes to rhyming! Ah mon dieu! And! I now have a beta so no more possible rocks in the fic! Yaaay! Everybody dance!

**Fudgebaby**: I hope you didn't have to wait long

**Slash-lover**: ah! A fellow fan of things that are slash! But then, people reading this fic must like slash…or else they are someplace very VERY wrong.

**Ura-hrd**: thanks, I hope you enjoy this chapter

**Rlmess**: that's alright; heat and lack of sleep make me slightly crazy too. But mostly it's heat since I get cranky.

**Kavfh**: oooh I feel a dental appointment coming soon if they keep being so lovely to each other, but I'm glad you enjoyed their cozy happiness (though they are not aware)

**Mars explorer**: hey dude, they've slept in the same bed, I am sooo getting them somewhere. Maybe…ok ok ok so perhaps that was strictly accidental and almost platonic. Well, I shall fulfill your request…_very soon_ mwahahahahahahahahahaha!

**FireStorm00X**: hahahahahahaha beds make good relationship starters…and soon the bed won't only be used for strictly platonic and accidental snuggles (wink wink)

**Wackywally**: sometimes I scare myself after reading what I wrote (since I don't stop to read it really in-between) but it is all original and it kinda flows straight from my brain and onto the screen. I don't plan it out…straaaange

**xXZero CoolxX**: if I had a sprite…I'd name it Mimu

**Kari Morgana Black**: aah, a Black…your "relatives" have something to do in this chapter my friend. Lolz, I joke avec toi, but really, the Blacks have a rather important part soon…I hope you enjoi this chapter

**Dark Angel of Fire Ice**: another name my Word won't underline in red (cries in happiness) thanks for les complements! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well

**Obbsessed pyro gurl**: yes well, I only just remembered why Draco is popularly dominant. Because he is a Malfoy and is very very forceful, but there are things and things one can do to twist that around hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe! Excessive laughter! Anyhow! I hope you like this chapter!

Wow, first time I replied to (what I think is) all of the reviews! If I missed any, I'm sorry! Actually I won't do that too often since now my neck hurts. But that might come from sitting at an odd angle while watching one of the stupidest movies I've ever seen (D.E.B.S). Anyways,

Enjoy!

* * *

A man clothed all in black slipped into the slummy mixed town of Hallowell, located a short distance from Hogsmeade Village. It was commonly used by wizards in secret as well as Muggles. It was dark, as to be expected since it was ten till nine. The streets were dampening as a light drizzle began to fall. This stranger's attire made him blend into the shadows, so not many Muggles paid much attention to him. Quickly and skittishly he made his way down the grime slicked alleys; not stopping for any of the prostitutes that offered their "wares" for him or the salesmen sending him rotten-toothed grins from their storefronts. He slinked his way through the empty streets until he came to stand in the near abandoned town square. 

"This is for the Dark Lord" he muttered and strode to the great stone fountain that adorned the gloomy center of the town square. It was a towering memorial erected by some of the townspeople for the lovely couple; Alice and Frank Longbottom. The Muggles did not know who they were, they only knew that they had died doing something heroic in a war, but the wizards knew. As the man stood on the rim of the fountain, now drawing looks from the scarce amount of people who walked by, he spat contemptuously at the base.

From beneath his cloak he drew out a package and lay it carefully where nobody would find it. Then he eased his wand from his cloak sleeve and held it so it would be invisible to any passersby. With one last smirk he pointed the wand to the dark night skies and said,

"_Morsmordre…_"

It was thirty minutes later that the Ministry of Magic got wind of the incident and had arrived on the scene. Ten men each from different specialty departments within the Ministry all stood looking up in mixed fear and revulsion as the Dark Mark floated above them; bathing the town in an eerie green glow.

The Department of Homeland Security Chief of Inquisition, Lawrence Baggins was on duty that night. Carefully, he questioned every witness before sending them of for Obliviation; most of them claimed to have glimpsed a flash of bright hair and a pair of cold blue eyes before the man seemingly disappeared into thin air.

'_Apparating in front of Muggles…this guy has either got to be really stupid or just has to have a complete lack of respect for the rules_' Baggins thought as he sent yet another repeat witness to be Obliviated. He sighed and slumped in his chair, would this investigation yield any results? He sighed and dreamed of a sudden miraculous discovery that would lead them indefinitely to the culprit. He wished for a star witness with a clean record who is known to be dependable and honest. The overworked man smiled wearily '_yeeah…_' he thought to himself '_like **that **will ever happen_'

Lawrence Baggins, however, did get his wish, though it was in a slightly warped form. His savior wasn't in the form of a shining and loyal witness like he'd hoped for. No, it came in the form of a squat, bandy-legged man by the name of Mundungus Fletcher. Baggins groaned and ran a hand through his hair as Fletcher sat nervously before him. Any Ministry Authority made him jumpy, as a criminal he had every right to be.

"Mr. Fletcher…you say you saw the man who cast the Dark Mark?" Baggins said, getting straight to the point, after all there was no need to beat around the bush with a man like Mundungus. Said thief smirked and his eyes glinted,

"Yeah, I saw the bloke. What's it to you?" So, he was going to make the exchange tricky. The tired Ministry worker sighed. He should've expected this coming. Baggins scowled,

"I hear you've recently been dealing in some very shady business. I think Argyle McAllister can have a say about exactly _what _it is he'd like to do about it…" he let himself trail off and was pleased to see Fletcher blanch noticeably. It was a well known fact that Argyle McAllister had, had his old house ransacked. Many precious items had been taken, some even irreplaceable. Everyone knew who had done it; the problem was there was no material proof.

"I'm sure we can come up with something better Mr. Baggins. I don't want to waste your time and I hope I am right in assuming that you don't want to waste mine. So let's just _forget _about Argyle and talk about something with more meaning…" Baggins smiled thinly and their exchange went on. This was how he dealt with people like Mundungus Fletcher. It was always an equivalent exchange; nothing is given without something else being taken (AN: FMA!).

"So then Mr. Fletcher, what did you see when you happened to be loitering about the town square?"

Mundungus smirked and tilted his head back,

"There was a bloke there who was obviously a Wizard; you could practically smell the magic off him. He was acting real dodgy, kind of like how thieves act after a real good gig. (Here Baggins had to stop himself from saying: "_Like how you act almost all the time?"_) He wore all black so he blended in real well. Of course I followed him. He seemed like a potential business partner. He walked to the old Longbottom fountain and was muttering some nonsense and then he looked up into the sky and I caught a look at his face for a bit before he said the spell and disapparated." The felon sat back in his chair and continued to look smug.

Baggins raised an eyebrow as if to say "and then?" and Mundungus continued slightly put off that his big climax had been denied,

"I'd recognize the face anywhere. Seen it enough time down at Borgin and Burke's to have memorized all its features…"

"And who was it you saw?" Baggins was getting tired of Mundungus's stalling.

"Well...you see it was the strangest thing because I know he's still in prison, or at least supposed to be…"

Baggins froze and stared horrified at Mundungus; pale blond hair? Cold blue eyes? There was one family that fit that description and one wizard in prison who was part of that family.

"Well, the one who cast the Dark Mark was Lucius Malfoy"

Baggins fainted on the spot.

A few miles away the son of the prisoner in question was having trouble sleeping. In his bed in Slytherin Dorm for the first time in what seemed like a long time, Draco Malfoy lay wide awake.

He lay in his comfortable bed with his silken bedcovers and in his own nightclothes in his own _dorm _for the first time that week! But, he could stop thinking of how very warm _Harry's _bed was, especially with him in it. He kept remembering the feel of Harry's heavy but comfortable weight next to him and how it had been embarrassing but strangely pleasant to have the Golden Boy on top of him, blissfully unaware. He kept remembering how the bed and pillows had smelled like the air after a rain storm along with clean laundry and something that he couldn't identify. Now that he thought about it, it had been that very comforting scent that had led him to peaceful unconsciousness after his attack.

'_You're being stupid Draco go to sleep_' he told himself over and over but he didn't feel comfortable in his own bed anymore and that was all Harry-no _Potter's_ fault.

"Oh bugger it!" Draco cried and slid off his bed. If he couldn't sleep, then he'd take a walk and maybe terrorize the few stupid people he found out illegally in the halls. Wrapping his robe tight around his waist and pinning his Prefects' badge onto it, he walked out of his room and into the drafty dungeon hallway.

'_So Draco, here you are in the middle of a hallway, not asleep because you can't forget how nice it was sleeping with the Gryffindor Golden Boy…God I am such a sad bastard…_' Draco walked furiously around the corner on the second floor hallway and bumped into someone quite a lot larger than he was. Angrily, he shoved the person away from him. First he can't sleep because his body is in love with Harry Potter's particularly intoxicating scent and body heat and then somebody just walks into him, he was probably going to be bruised.

"Watch where you're trampling!" he cried.

The person he had bumped into laughed dryly and said,

"I don't believe it was me who bumped into you Malfoy, but then again, I wouldn't trust you to take responsibility for anything…" Draco froze and looked slowly up into the emerald eyes of Harry Potter.

Suddenly all of his fantasies about Harry's warm soft bed and his alluring scent came crashing back to him and he fought (and lost) against a violent blush.

"W-well why should I take the blame for something you obviously caused!" Draco exclaimed a little loudly in attempt to cover his embarrassment. Harry raised an eyebrow,

"A little loud there Malfoy, it does happen to be rather late. We don't want Filch to come find us, now do we?" he said making Draco blush a little redder.

"Well if it's so late Potter, why are you out of your dorm!" Draco was getting flustered. Malfoy men did _not _get flustered; especially if they became flustered like lovesick girls, which is exactly what Draco was doing now.

Harry raised both eyebrows and put his hands up in front of him in a defensive stance,

"Ouch Malfoy, pulling the Prefect thing on me. I thought we were pals now, Oh well…" he said pouting. Draco scowled at him,

"Whoever said we were friends was obviously delusional. We made a truce, it doesn't mean we're best fri…" but Draco got cut off as suddenly Harry put up a finger for silence and suddenly became very alert. Draco frowned, he didn't hear anything, what was Potter being so tense about?

"Malfoy, I'm going to apologize in advance for this but…" Harry said and suddenly grabbed Draco.

The next thing he knew, Draco found himself pressed tight against Harry's chest. One of the Gryffindor's arms was around his waist keeping him from falling out of the little nook they were squeezed into. Harry slid down quickly and silently bringing Draco with him so that the Slytherin was nestled between his legs. As soon as they were sitting he threw the Invisibility cloak over them and pressed back into the nook they sat in. As soon as they were settled Harry's arm around Draco's waist slackened. (Draco hated himself for feeling disappointed at this).

"What is it Potter?" Draco whispered, Harry leaned close to Draco's ear and said,

"Snape." Draco ignored the shiver that went down his spine and leaned forward slightly to look; and indeed the Potions Master stood in the middle of the hallway scowling and sweeping dark eyes around as if trying to find something.

"He knows we're here…" Draco jumped a little as Harry's spoke unexpectedly near his ear.

"Cursed Potter, always breaking rules…I will find and get you one of these days _Potter. _I know you're hiding around here somewhere. In that damned invisibility cloak your father left you, no doubt." Snape spat and swept away.

Harry relaxed and Draco tried to get up but Harry's arm tightened and kept him seated. Draco looked around at the Gryffindor,

"_What!_ Why can't I get up!" Draco whispered. Harry looked distracted for a minute but then blinked and smirked at Draco.

"Jeez Malfoy, haven't you ever been out past hours….without permission? First rule, never go by what you think is happening. Snape might well be around the corner waiting for us to emerge."

Draco scowled and crossed his arms.

They sat there fro ten more minutes before they heard the soft clicking of Snape's shoes against the stone floor retreating from their location. Draco waited for Harry to gloat and say something along the lines of: "I told you so". He didn't.

"Malfoy, you're getting kind of heavy, you might want to stop leaning on me so we can both go to bed." Harry said, Draco was about to tell him that he was _not _leaning against anything when he realized that his head was indeed resting on the Gryffindor's wide chest. Draco blushed again and stood abruptly to escape his embarrassment.

"Well Potter, as _pleasant _as this little adventure has been, I need my beauty sleep so I will bid you good night." Draco said, Harry stood and nodded,

"Well there isn't much there I can disagree with Malfoy, though I'm not sure how much sleep can help _you_…" he said solemnly. Draco scowled and glared at him,

"I was only making a joke Malfoy, enough with the death glare…" Harry turned towards Gryffindor Tower and waved as his good night. Draco resisted the urge to stick out his tongue and whirled around before stalking away to his own bed.

It wasn't until he was lay staring up at his canopy that he remembered that he was a prefect and thus allowed to be out at night. There really was no need to be in that compromising position with Potter at all. Draco blushed,

'_Knowing Potter, he'll be sure to point that out! How embarrassing!' _he thought. But he did like how it felt leaning against the Gryffindor for those quiet ten minutes, and how the scent that came from the other boy was not strong and overpowering like many of the colognes their peers wore but utterly natural. Draco sighed and caught a whiff of the scent on himself, _'It must be because I was touching him for that long' _he thought.

'_How nice' _that night Draco Malfoy went to bed with a smile on his face. It never occurred to him why he was feeling such things for a boy he had disliked for the majority of the time they had known each other and it never crossed his mind why that boy was one of the only people not driven by wild Lust for him. No, Draco Malfoy could only think of resting calmly against Harry Potter and how very good it had felt.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore, in all his years as one of the greatest wizards alive, had never been faced with a predicament quite like the one he was faced with now. It was nearing 4 a.m. and he sat, wearing his nightclothes, entertaining a solemn faced group of Ministry Officials. His problem lay in what these very men were after.

"Gentlemen, I assure you that Mr. Malfoy is in his dorm sleeping like any of the other students and has been since he retired to bed earlier this evening," he said to them. The men were inquiring after one Draco Malfoy. It seemed that some very strange events had gone on in a village not very far from Hogsmeade and thus Hogwarts was once again in danger.

"Dumbledore sir, I am aware of your unerring trust in those that have not earned or do not deserve it and because of this we must take the boy into custody and question him ourselves." One official, the Head of Homeland Security Chief of Inquisition Dumbledore remembered, sighed tiredly.

"Listen Mr. Dumbledore sir, I don't want to do any of this, I would rather be at home sleeping as would we all. The fact of the matter is that, Lucius Malfoy was seen in a Muggle hybrid village casting the Dark Mark while he is supposedly in Azkaban prison. First we hit Malfoy Manor to find it abandoned and sealed, Narcissa Black Malfoy was not present on the premises and no one could enter. Later we go to Azkaban and discover that he and several other high ranking Death Eaters are missing. If there are any leads on this, any at all, then I'd like to follow them so I can end this search and go home."

Dumbledore pitied the man truly. He understood what it was like working when all you wanted was to sleep, but he had a duty to his students and that meant, unfortunately, prolonging the man's night.

"I must apologize Mr. Baggins, I am afraid that I can not allow you to question an underage Wizard without permission from his parents, neither of which is currently in any position to give it. I am sorry Mr. Baggins, I truly am." Dumbledore watched as the man's shoulders sagged and his comrades sighed tiredly.

"Why don't you all visit the kitchens and have a meal then I will show you to the guestrooms. If anyone asks, we can just tell them that you've been here trying to change my mind." Dumbledore suggested, Baggins' men brightened but immediately sobered when their captain shook his head,

"No thank you Dumbledor sir, we really must follow this case before we can sleep or rest, we will take you up on the offer of food however…" Dumbledor smiled and showed the men to the kitchen. As he swept along behind them he was deep in thought,

'_So, Lucius Malfoy has escaped from Azkaban? I must speak with Draco on this matter. There is something that seems amiss with this scenario'_

_

* * *

_

Mundungus Fletcher felt lucky, he felt _very _lucky. He had just received a sum of galleons (reluctantly given) that would carry him through the rest of the year. Though just to be sure he picked up another… 'donation' from a passerby. He had escaped what could have been a very serious predicament with the Ministry of Magic, as well as the grizzled old man (who had to be at least ¼ giant) Argyle McAllister unscathed. Not to mention that he had gotten something else, something the Ministry did not know about.

The package was not very heavy; it was soft and seemed, to Mundungus, to emit a certain aura. It would be a good item to sell to Borgin, the bandy legged felon smiled toothily and ran a hand over his new possession. Suddenly his eyes glazed over and he thought that it would _not _be a good idea to sell it. _No _he must keep it, keep it until it was time. And then when the time was right he must give it to the one thrice touched by his Master.

"Right…what was it I was doing again?" Mundungus hurriedly stored the package in the hidden place he kept all his contraband and went to make himself some well deserved tea.

* * *

_Potions:_

_There are quite a variety of potions one can use to counteract the Veelic Hormone. There are the household remedies such as chewing on raw peppermint (Which releases strong pungent oil that can overpower the Hormone.) and there are manmade potions._

_One of the earliest potions used against Veela hormones was called Veelagra from the makers of Adville's Eraser. It was a primitive poison based on the belief of "fire against fire". In the Potion they utilized concentrated Veela Hormone (Which is a purple-ish paste one can extract from a Veela when they get cut because it comes in large amounts to heal the wound.) peppermint leaf, and vanilla extract (To add flavor since Veelic Hormone concentrate has a barely palatable flavor). The peppermint leaf dulled the severe effects of the concentrate so people did not die like in the ages before (This much they had discerned after much observation.) but instead of counteracting the Veelic Hormone, Veelagra just made people more prone to falling under it. Veelagra was discovered to put people in a temporary sexual "frenzy" and was later used as a sort of aphrodisiac for people with erectile dysfunction and elder wizards unable to copulate easily. This drug was later introduced to Muggles and the Adville's Eraser Muggle Adaptation branch renamed it Viagra. _

_As time went by many strange methods and beliefs emerged concerning Veela and resisting their Hormone. Primitive theories involving such exceptions as Virgins, Homosexuals, and Pedophiles were amongst those very popular and very wrong. _

_In actuality, there is no way to completely stamp out the Veelic Hormone from one's system. The only potion that has ever worked against a Veela's hormone was one that **dampened **the effect, so to speak. It was made by a man named Hugo Bard who studied Veela from the age of 16 until the day he died. He realized that suffocating the hormone's effect and making it less potent would work better than trying to completely stop the hormone from working. His potion is made of peppermint concentrate, pepper (Since spices would overpower the sugar in the hormone.), green mint concentrate, and Pixie sugar (Which is a rare large grained black powder that resembles rock salt and is rather tasteless. It is used mostly to absorb the sugars in many potions ingredients so that they will react properly together.). He tried the mixture out on himself after three years of development and found it a success. Immediately his potion was mass produced and given to Ministry officials and Aurors to fight off the effect of the Veela being used by the Dark Lord Grindewald who was currently at the peak of his reign of terror. He named it Veelic Veritas (Veelic Truth) meaning that it shows the truth of Veela without letting the person be under their spell. _

Severus Snape was sweating profusely, oily beads of perspiration ran down his face and soaked his shirt. He stood laboring over an enormous vat of Veelic Veritas. At first the smell of peppermint had been relaxing, a drastic change from the regularly putrid stench most vital potions tended to emit, but after several hours of breathing in the smell Snape was beginning to get sick.

"I wanted to be the Defense teacher, but _no _I couldn't. No, I had to get stuck with the sodding Potions position. Brew Pepper up potion for 300 first years Severus, make antidotes for 500 poisonous rat bite cases Severus, concoct an emergency SCHOOL SUPPLY of Veelic Veritas Severus! Stupid useless sods!" he muttered as he stirred the fluid. (Kris: We love you Snape-ster)

It had taken him two days to make the copious amounts of potion needed to dose the whole school. He had already sent the first 32 vats to Pomphrey and was working on the very last. Yes, being the Hogwarts Potions Master was a very strenuous job that Snape, though he'd never admit it, would not trade for the world…well maybe the D.A.D.A. position would be enough.

* * *

Draco Malfoy sat at the Slytherin table at breakfast, head down supposedly staring fixedly at a textbook that lay open on his lap. He was, thankfully, not blushing and he thought himself very calm. Pansy looked over at his breakfast of runny sunny side up eggs smothered in syrup and margarine on a bagel and grimaced,

"Draco I've begun to wonder if you're really a pregnant woman rather than a 16 year old boy, is there something you need to tell me?" she said, turning a slight shade of green. Draco scowled at her and smacked her arm,

"I am _not _preggers Pans, it'd speak well of you to realize it. If I were pregnant believe me you would be the first to know." He said and bit happily into his oozing breakfast. Pansy cringed and looked away.

"Oh don't look now but Golden Boy and his palsies have just waltzed in. _Merlin _he may be a Gryffindork but that boy has an _arse_!" Draco ignored the sudden and inexplicable pang of jealousy he felt at Pansy salivating over Harry Potter and averted his eyes from the Golden Trio. This, of course, did not escape Pansy's radar.

"What's this? Are you _avoiding _looking at them? Or maybe…" she said suddenly slyly as she saw Harry glance over at Draco and smirk in a _very _un-Gryffindor way,

"You're avoiding _one _of them. A certain tall dark and handsome one?" Draco lost his battle with the blush that had been threatening to tint his skin for the past twenty minutes and Pansy smirked triumphantly.

( Kris)

It was then that Blaise decided to make his appearance, having heard what Pansy had said.

"What! Draco has a crush on Weasley!" He exclaimed almost too loudly. He was over his lust for Draco, having been given his potion within the first ten minutes of its distribution. After all, it was for Draco's safety that the dark skinned sex maniac's libido was under control (or as much in control as possible for Blaise).

Draco almost lost what little he'd eaten at the accusation.

"Please Blaise, don't tell me that when you think: 'tall, dark, and handsome' you think of Weasley!"

Blaise had the grace to look ashamed and shrugged uncomfortably,

"I don't know. I just knew you were avoiding the Golden Trio. I know you would never give Granger the time of day, and you hate Potter with your very soul, so Weasley was the obvious choice. He is a pure blood after all."

Without speaking, Draco rose from his seat and shoved Blaise's face into his syrup smothered breakfast. He then left the room with a giggling Pansy trailing along behind him.

'I was right then!' Blaise thought as he emerged from the sticky, brown goo. 'This calls for some further investigation…' And with what he believed to be stealthy ninja-like movements (like James Bond only a little less tacky), he made his grand exit to go and wash up.

Once Pansy and Draco found themselves a nice empty class room they continued their conversation, as if the whole Blaise incident never occurred.

(this is a product of Kris's brilliance as well)

"So Draco, what's got you, Slytherin Prince, all in a tizzy over the Gryffindork-Golden-Man?" Draco sighed and cursed the fact that Pansy was so sharp,

"Fine then wench, I'll tell you." He muttered sulkily. Pansy nodded and leaned forward in anticipation. As Draco told his story, she noted, he began to blush and get frustrated. Draco never got frustrated.

Pansy had always been in a sort of half love with Draco Malfoy, ever since they had been four and he had saved her from his attacking puppy with a toy wand. Now that someone was obviously worming their way through Draco's defenses she felt just a little sad. Realizing that she was being sentimental, Pansy squashed the feeling and listened patiently through the rest of the story, saving her questions and comments for the end. Finally when she knew everything she wanted to know she smiled and patted Draco solemnly,

"I'm sorry Draco." She said with a smile. Draco quirked an eyebrow,

"For what?"

"I'm sorry that you lost me. After all, I was the best thing that happened to you…until Potter showed up that is."

With that said, and with her smirk in place, Pansy sauntered out of the room and returned to the Great Hall. Draco followed in suit, looking a bit confused and a bit satisfied but not as nervous as he had seemed before.

(Lily: y'all can thank Kris for this brilliant section here, wooo!)

Meanwhile, at the Gryffindor table Hermione and Ron looked worriedly at Harry who sat eating his sausages with a spoon.

"Harry, er, are you feeling quite alright?" Hermione asked, watching as sausage after sausage was speared clumsily on the blunt utensil and eaten.

"Of course 'Mione, 100 fabulous!" Harry replied. Ron and Hermione exchanged worried glances; Harry never used the word _fabulous _it had always been too "metrosexual" for him. Ron pretended to check his watch,

"Er...it's getting late and I promised to meet…um Ginny and…and study!" he stuttered. Harry's strangeness had put him ill at ease and he needed to leave. Harry just nodded his goodbye to Ron who was shocked that he hadn't even thought to stop him and ask him if he could come along. Hermione was shocked that Harry hadn't caught on to the comment about studying since Ron never studied and when he did it was never with Ginny. Something strange was indeed going down.

"Harry…" Hermione said, the raven haired teen next to her abandoned his sausages to look at her,

"I've been wondering about Malfoy (Here Hermione observed a sudden fire in Harry's eyes and filed it away to ponder about later on.), I mean, I know that I took a potion to avoid this attraction thing and so did a lot of the teachers and I have no idea about the other students but I know you didn't take any potion but you're immune to his hormone…why is that?" Now that she got going on it, Hermione's mind turned through all the possibilities. It was only the most obvious that made her nervous. Yet apparently Harry was back to himself and he just shrugged it off,

"I dunno 'Mione, maybe I'm just strange in this area too like I am everywhere else. Being impervious to Veela magic might be another one of the things Voldemort passed on to me when he hit me with that curse…" he said, he had gone back to eating his sausages. Hermione sighed gustily and let the subject drop, obviously Harry was in too good of a mood to do anything properly that morning.

An owl hooted and suddenly hundreds of the winged creatures were flying into the Great Hall. Hermione looked for the owl that delivered her copy of the _Prophet _

"Good, Owl post's here." She said as she detached her paper from the owl and paid it. Smiling she unfurled it and briefly skimmed the front page.

She was not smiling when she had finished looking it through. She turned to look at the Slytherin table and saw that Draco Malfoy had gone still and Pansy was whispering to him very quickly, Hermione turned to Harry.

"Harry…" she said, her voice hoarse, the boy-who-lived turned to her and raised an eyebrow in question,

"What?" he asked scowling, thinking that Hermione had another question. His scowl disappeared when he saw the look on her face, she silently handed him the _Daily Prophet_ and when he was finished looking through it his face was grim as well.

The headline read:

**Lucius Malfoy Found Mangled in Small Village after Azkaban Escape**

There was a commotion at the Slytherin table.

Dumbledore loomed over Draco Malfoy, his face solemn,

"Mr. Malfoy, I think you should come with Me." he said. Draco nodded and the pair swept out of the Great Hall.

There was silence for a full 10 seconds before chaos erupted.

"What's going on?" Ron had just reappeared in the Great Hall next to Harry. The Golden Boy looked at him and shook his head,

"That's what I'd like to know Ron…that's what I'd like to know"

Lily: O.O fourteen pages! Augh I'm soo tirreeeddd! OMG! Augh! Oh, yah, it's kind of a Cliffie…I think. Or was that a very bad cliffie?

KrisXD: It was a good enough cliffie to make me beg for more…and I'm the one that gets to help write it. . lol

For those of ye who desired a bit more romance, if you can see it bravo! I can safely say that IT has begun in _many _different ways. Ah! That's like an ending not cliffhanger! Ah it's really too bad I can't give any hints really! Wait! I know! It involves the Blacks and the Lestranges and soon all will come together. The one Thrice touched and the one who is "Lucius Malfoy"

Is that a good hint?

Edit: I fixed the problem avec Malfoy Senior's name. Thx for pointing it out peeps!

Review plz


	10. Mystery

**Lily**: Ai-yah! Everyone went really crazy about my Lucius thingy! I guess it was a bad cliffie since it would be shocking to anyone not writing it (me) Yes, I am desperately sorry if you are confused, the air will clear up very soon trop vites! As for Draco and Harry and their burgeoning but camouflaged Romance, je me depecher on this issue since no one likes to wait when they know something good is ahead. And about my terrifying Lucius blunder in the last chapter (bows) je suis desole! Very very sorry, I had a brain lapse!

**Hdhsfan**: sorry for the confusing-ness it will all become clear veeery soon

**Danish Pastry 28**: then I suppose I am not very good at giving hints 000 but it'll all come together

**Aphrodis**: I do not live in California nor have I ever been there. But the government is secretly conspiring to try and make us all appear intelligent so that the country doesn't look stupid. I know, it's rather frightening.

**Phoegan Leisha**: (bows) I am soooo sorry about that, I fixed it though after it came to me that it was wrong. Sorry it made the chapter unpleasant

**Kavfh**: yes, I'll be sure to build up so much tension and then leave you all at the hugest cliff and then I'll have to dodge soo many sharp objects! Cliffies are fun to make up, just not fun when one is reading them

**HP/DMslashaddict**: actually, the constitution part scared me since I tried blanking out last year's history from my memory…it was so horrifying! But thanks for the compliment. About the fountain, it's all part of the grand scheme of things…don't worry, it'll get less confusing (I hope)

**Hikaru**: hahahahahahahahahahaha mangled, yes, he was. It gets un-confusing though, very soon. And yes, I am writing this in the hours before I must trot off to work. I'm glad you've enjoyed it.

**Makalani Astral**: perhaps it won't be the usual suspects to clue the clueless in on what's going on (suspicious snicker)

I hope everybody likes this chapter, to everyone that I didn't get to replying to, thanks for reviewing!

* * *

The official autopsy revealed to the world that Lucius Malfoy had been killed by potions overdose. Many of the poisons he had ingested had mutated his body painfully and irreversibly before his killer had taken some sharp object and torn his skin from his bones with what was observed to be surgical precision. Lucius's body had been found peeled open, his insides bared and his skin lying folded back. His face, once one of the most handsome in the Wizarding world, was disfigured and ugly. The skin, being pulled back like it was, revealed the bones and cartilage that had been pulverized.

The body had been found in a bed of expensive roses, just the type a Malfoy would own. It was laid like a Pharaoh of ancient Egypt, arms crossed and feet together, a pose that signified the Malfoys belief in their purebred supremacy. The body was unrecognizable and the blood had been so tainted by potions that there was no way to test it; the body was identified as Lucius Malfoy by the single blue eye that sat atop a card next to the body. The card was made of expensive parchment and on it was written:

"_A Malfoy dies in splendor tonight. Our Master's will is done_

_the one called Darkness"_

There had been neither fingerprints nor any magical signature left on the scene. The Ministry was at another dead end.

* * *

Homeland Security Chief of Inquisition Lawrence Baggins had scowled when the newest report had come in. Being directly linked to the case via the Dark Mark incident, he had gotten no sleep since the whole thing had happened. Now a further complication had arisen. His chief suspect was now dead. Now all he had to follow was a 16 year old boy whose legal guardianship was in the hands of a woman who hadn't been seen in 72 hours.

"This isn't getting me anywhere…" Baggins muttered as he flipped through yet another stack of autopsy reports and possible clues. Whoever had done the job on Lucius Malfoy was a master. That is, if Baggins appreciated such things as precise murder he would go so far as to call the job a work of art. The body was made unidentifiable. There was no indication as to who the killer could be and the completely baffling note that was left at the scene was no help at all. No amount sitting and thinking would help Lawrence Baggins solve the case.

The tired young man sighed gustily and pushed a hand through his hair (which seemed to be a new habit of his) and picked up another, hopefully more promising, report.

* * *

Pansy Parkinson was not an idiot. Nor was she ever going to be. She might not be the smartest of her year but she was sharp in more ways than those which involved books. There were currently two things she knew of that were bothering her. One was that, though he was currently locked away in his room and refusing any visitors, Draco Malfoy had no love for his father; the second was that Draco was a Veela who was very obviously near his mate. Said mate had yet to reveal itself to him.

Pansy had accepted long ago that she was not meant to be with Draco, though she had loved him for as long as she could remember. Now she knew that there was someone who was meant to love Draco even more than she had ever loved him; more than anyone ever could. It didn't take her long to figure out who it was. A person who could make Draco distracted, a person who, without trying, crept into Draco's thoughts constantly, a person who could fluster Draco as Pansy never could.

Yes, Pansy knew who the person destined for Draco was and she planned to watch them get closer and realize it themselves. Along the way she knew she might have to step in and guide them along the way, but she would not reveal it to either of them. And even though she felt jealousy, she knew it was not her place to tell them.

"Hey Pans…" a quiet voice interrupted her musing and she turned to see Draco sitting next to her.

"What's going on Draco?" she asked, and they both knew that she wasn't asking about how he was doing. Draco smirked slightly and closed his eyes,

"It's a pretty deceptive thing, death, especially in the wizarding world. I don't expect anything that seems to have happened has really happened…" his voice was barely above a whisper, but Pansy could hear him. Her eyes widened,

"But the eyes?" she whispered, shocked,

"The eyes are also very deceptive, many times they are blind. But let's not forget Pansy, that while one eye may not be able to see, the other can." His face and voice were neutral but Pansy knew he felt the same terror that she did now,

"So the true one walks with a single eye…" she murmured and Draco nodded.

"Then the one called Darkness?"

"Darkness goes by many other names, think of those who serve their Master well…don't forget that _stranger _things have happened to those who serve Him"

"So it was them." Pansy laid back and swept a hand through her hair,

"Sometimes I wish we were born into other Houses…" she murmured, and Draco nodded

"I agree. The ways of a Slytherin aren't easy Pans, but we were born to follow them"

"Follow what!" Blaise had just appeared smiling and oblivious as usual. Draco smirked at him and Pansy moved over to let him sit,

"Nothing Zabini. Hey, are those Sugar Quills?"

* * *

In the darkest recesses of an abandoned old manor in a place that was known only to those who sought it out, the Dark Lord Voldemort sat with his beloved snake Nagini curled at his feet. In a chamber where only his most trusted followers were allowed, he sat in conference. His gleaming red eyes scanned the little group with satisfaction. Here were the people truly devoted to his cause, those who would follow him to death. Next to him stood his lowly servant Wormtail, a frown turned his lipless mouth downward at the thought of him. The man was truly a worthless nobody, and he wasn't worthy to breathe the same air most of the people in the room did. _'But soon' _Voldemort though, smiling cruelly, _'soon I will be rid of that vermin. Soon I will have what I have sought for so long…' _he let himself take a look at his followers once more,

'_It is a pity they will all have to die in the end. But I get what I want, regardless of the costs…'_

_

* * *

_

Hermione Granger was the cleverest witch in her year. She was sharp and kept her wits about her in a pinch. Even when the situation required no immediate action and when she or her peers were in no danger, she knew to be sharp and she always was. This being the case, she had had a lot of experience watching people, particularly her two best friends.

Recently she had noticed a change in behavior from Harry, one that had happened so quickly and quietly that she had not seen it happening right away. It was subtle and well hidden, but she could see that something was beginning.

She saw the significant lack of fighting and unnecessary aggression. She saw the joking looks they sometimes exchanged and the way the other would blush whenever Harry smirked at them. It wasn't so much as a sudden friendship because they had known each other for years without really paying attention to each other's personality. It was more of a _change _in their relationship.

The one who had always caught and held Harry's interest, been the object of his rage and hatred for years, was Draco Malfoy. Hermione could not say that she approved but the clues were all there. How he spent more time with Draco not fighting, how they were able to exchange a friendly word in the halls, how Harry was the only one not under a potion (as far as she knew) to not be affected by Draco's hormone.

Harry was Draco Malfoy's mate.

Hermione loved Harry greatly. She had never and would never love him as a man but she loved him as a brother. This great love for him was what held her back from telling him what she had observed.

Harry deserved more than most people gave him. He deserved more than his terrible situation with his relatives, he deserved more than what Voldemort's murder of his parents had left him with, he deserved more than the entire Wizarding world had given him ever since he was 11. Of all the things Harry Potter deserved, it was the chance at love. And so Hermione would leave him and Draco to discover everything themselves, to feel the first ecstatic moments of love unhindered, it was all she could do as a true friend.

* * *

Draco Malfoy was having problems sleeping again and it was becoming increasingly annoying. His body, it seemed, had become accustomed to sleeping with Harry Potter.

'_And that thought should completely revolt me' _he thought despondently

'_But it doesn't…_' Recently his thoughts had centered on the Gryffindor Golden Boy, he now paid attention to seemingly insignificant things. Like how his hair was messy in an organized way, and how when he smiled he only had one dimple. He knew it was foolish and that he was acting like some lovesick fangirl but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

"I really need help…" Draco muttered to himself, throwing off his blanket and slipping out of bed.

"I suppose I'll go for a walk then…" donning his robe and pinning on his badge, he made his way out of his room and into the corridor.

He had been walking absentmindedly for ten minutes or so when he passed by a window and saw a familiar figure out by the lake. Not sparing a moment to think, he turned around and ran towards the front doors.

* * *

Harry Potter was restless. Ever since he had read that article on Lucius Malfoy's murder and then the one that followed soon after on the autopsy his mind had not rested. Somehow he knew something was off about the whole thing. Who in their right minds would kill Lucius Malfoy? The one called Darkness could not be one of Voldemort's true supporters. After all, Malfoy Sr. was one of the madman's most loyal servants. The job was too clean, the clues too scarce. Harry found it odd that anyone would take the time to make the victim's body unrecognizable by looks or by blood trace and then would leave an eyeball as evidence of the body.

Who could be sure it was even Lucius Malfoy's body there? In the Wizarding world, many things were possible with potions and spells.

"Don't think too hard, Potter! You'll hurt yourself!" a familiar voice called out to him, a slow smirk spread across Harry's face and he turned to see Draco Malfoy smirking back at him.

"No need to panic Malfoy, I'll be alright" Harry replied coolly, his smirk widened as he saw a faint blush spread across Draco's pale skin.

"What're you doing out here? You know anyone could have seen you…I could have been Professor Snape," Draco said, Harry shrugged and smiled slightly

"There are many ways to avoid being caught Malfoy" he said, and Draco was forced to wonder what he meant.

They stood in silence for a few minutes; Draco slid furtive glances at Harry when he thought the other teen wasn't looking. '_Harry Potter can never be called ugly truthfully_' he thought, looking at how the milky light of the moon threw the Golden Boy's face into sharp relief and highlighted his inky hair. The look on his face was relaxed and, to Draco's secret pleasure, unguarded. He did not look like a boy whose fate had been decided at the age of one year, he did not look like a boy who would soon battle with the greatest evil wizard of their time, he did not look like a boy prophesized to either kill or be killed; he looked as if he had been a normal boy all his life.

"What're you staring at Malfoy? Have I got something on my face?" Draco was suddenly aware that he had been staring openly, he blushed again,

"I thought that ugly thing _was _your face Potter, so sorry…" he shot back. Harry only raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"So what do you make of all this?" Harry suddenly asked, Draco turned to give him a suspicious look,

"Of _what _Potter?" he said cautiously. Harry seemed to be watching the stars but his eyes lacked the faraway look people got when they weren't paying attention,

"This whole situation with your father. It's pretty strange isn't it?" Draco scowled,

"Listen Potter, my family has nothing to do with y..." he started to say, but Harry cut him off,

"On the contrary Malfoy, your family has very much to do with me. It was your Aunt who killed my godfather, your father who is plotting to kill me, and your parents who stood by the side of the man who killed my parents and helped bring him to power. In this war, your family and I have much to do with each other…" Draco silently digested the information he had just been given.

"I notice you said my father who **is **plotting to kill you, don't you mean **was**?" Draco said quietly and Harry turned and smirked at him,

"Don't patronize me Malfoy, if you think I don't know anything that's going on beneath the cover of well done murder then you must think again. Lucius Malfoy is alive somewhere with one eye; he hides away like a coward with his master and those filthy murdering Lestranges. I'm going to tell you now Draco," he said, purposely using Malfoy's given name,

"that I am going to kill them. I will kill your father and your aunt. Only then will their debts to me and my family be repaid." Harry got up and looked back across the glasslike surface of the lake and smiled faintly,

"The surface of the lake is serene tonight Draco, but don't make the mistake of thinking it'll stay that way forever. Something is amiss in the Wizarding World and your father is a part of it. I'll see you in class" and with those final words, he vanished into thin air.

"Potter! POTTER! Stop joking around Potter! I know you're still here in that invisibility cloak! You can't just say something like that and leave!" Draco cried. When nothing but silence answered him, he sat back down on the cool grass and sighed deeply, he gazed at the lake, still unmoving and silent,

"Something is amiss in the Wizarding World huh?" he murmured.

"Harry Potter…you could drive a person insane…"

* * *

"Severus, I trust that you understand the consequences if we fail…" the voice was laced with arrogance and contempt but underneath it was fear, Severus Snape scowled into the shadows from whence the voice came,

"I know better than any the consequences of failure, you need not remind me" he too felt fear creeping into his voice and hated it.

"Draco is unaware of the spy the Dark Lord has placed and things have already begun, you must be sure everything goes well on your end," Snape's eyes narrowed at the mention of Draco and he smirked,

"No need to worry, all will go well concerning to boy, he is oblivious to what is going on, to what he feels…" Snape's oily voice was heavy with disdain; he was a man whose belief in love had died many years ago.

"I expect that it will happen soon Severus, Draco must know who his mate is for this plan to work. The Dark Lord is not a patient man…"

Snape scowled again and bared an arm riddled with gently bleeding lacerations, the skin seemed to have been peeled off in some places, Snape smiled as he felt eyes on his mutilated arm, staring in morbid fascination,

"I know that better than I wish I did…" he said grimly, "it seems the Dark Lord has a new fascination in peeling off human skin." A short bark of laughter rang throughout the enclosed space and the other man stepped forward from the shadows, Snape stared evenly into one cold blue eye

"I await your signal on that day Severus, when the one Thrice touched is finally within our reach," Snape smirked and stepped back,

"You and I both know it won't be too long Lucius," he said and Apparated away.

"The time draws near Draco…" Lucius murmured and looked out through a grimy window to his right,

"Will you be ready?"

Lily: AAAAAAAH! I don't know if I answered any questions but I know I've gone and created some more. Ah! How was it? Did you enjoy the suspense? The cryptic language? THE MYSTERY! I'm sorry it took so long; I was trying to find a really nice way to phrase everything and bring It all to one gigantic frustrating cliffie! Did it work? I don't think it was quite a cliffie, more of like…a really evilly ended chapter. So now you've delved deeper into the situation with Lucius Malfoy, next chapter I suspect it's time to let some secrets out of my bag…especially since everyone in the world seems to know about IT but Harry and Draco!

For all those who crave some fluff, don't fear, it's happening. For something to bloom well and beautifully, one must cultivate it carefully and give it some time.

That is all.

Review o-ne-gai shimasuuuu! (plz)

**KrisXD**: So the plot thickens…..what will happen next? You'll just have to read and find out. Cause I don't know either. sigh

Lily: very sorry about that...it's to preserve the MYSTERY!


	11. A Romantic Interlude

**Lily**: AAAAHNYYYOOUUUNNNNNG! I see many people have observed in obvious frustration my plot. It thickened considerably in the past couple of chapters ne? Kind of frightening ne? I am going to be lynched ne? I bet y'all hate me ne? ne?ne?ne? Isn't that annoying? But anyways, I have to say that I think I shall let some cats out of my burlap bag this chapter. LOOK FORWARD TO IT!

**Ura-hrd**: finally! A person who appreciated taking things slowly! Aaahah jp jp! But thank you, I see you don't mind my pace too much

**Anime-san**: A-RI-GA-TO gozaimashita! I see you as well enjoy the many greatnesses of Nihongo? Or at least of anime…I shall say to you! Atashi no namae wa Lily desu! Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu! I only like saying that for no reason. Butenyway, I'm glad that u like my fic, what's the word again…Yokatta!

**Mimifoxlove**: did Lucius think that? I am not remembering…it must be my poorness at writing mysterious things since I am a rather blunt and blatant person

**Makalani Astral**: I'm glad you like him this way since he wasn't this way in the books…really

**DracoDormiens7**: 1: this is something you'll find out soon 2:yet another thing left to be revealed…it will be soon and 3: and the only answer you'll actually get…but of course!

**Hikaru**: I live to please…and occasionally terrorize insects in the park

**Belladonna Malfoy**: ai-yah! Long review! Ok here we go.

Issue 1: ah…torture threats. It is a sign that one truly likes the fic…or is just very very sick. I'll go with the former rather than the latter since It makes me feel safer. Thank you very much for the compliment

Issue 2: before I started to write this fic, I'd looked at some others and I never really read them since I tend to get bored easily and reading a whole bunch of Veela fanfiction would bore me a lot. Magnetic Attraction is a fic I think I have heard of…but I'm not sure I've read it. In any case, I don't want to read anything until I finish this fic, that way my mind will not be on other people's stories and ideas while I'm trying to write mine. I'll probably read a bunch soon though

Issue 3: I'm confused…what did I saw about Draco again? I don't remember. But anyhow, you've made a lot of good points, and it's true that there are things Draco really did do that I can never imagine doing. But he is a coward in a sense in the series…if u really watch how JKR portrays him and all Slytherins it's pretty obvious. I like him better in the 6th book when he seems to grow a bit of spine.

Issue 4: I happen to like Snape despite the recent wave of Snape hatred that seems to have developed. I won't say much more than that pertaining to the newest book since not everyone has read it and this is not a spoilerfic. I think Snape is a lot less shallow than JKR has given us so far, there are a great many things we have yet to discover.

Issue 5: thank you very much. Merci beaucoup. Arigato gozaimasu. Xie xie. Gesongheyo. And et cetera. I feel honored that you like my fic enough to put it up there with, what sound like, the very biggest of names on your like list.

Ah, I shall dedicate this chapter to you and your super long review since it was so nice!

**Malfoyrocks**: thanks so much for the compliment; I hope you enjoy the story as it goes on.

**Rlmess**: yes yes, I am tres sorry about the Lucius thing; I like to fool around with him a lot. He is a maaaajor element in the Dark Lord's plans though! But don't worry, he's taken care of. You'll see. And about Draco, it's little observations like these that lead to what everyone is waiting for.

To all my lovely reviewers that I didn't respond to, thank you for reviewing, I hope you come back and review again. I hope y'all enjoy this!

Chapter Dedication to: Belladonna for her high praise of my fic and her super long review which must have taken a lot of time.

Please enjoy

* * *

The moon shone in the sky, a sickly crescent amongst a myriad of sparkling stars. The air was warm and pleasant carrying just a hint of the summer that was coming. Draco lay back against the long grass by the lake's edge and smiled. The weeks had been growing longer ever since Lucius Malfoy had 'died'. He was getting tired of showing his unhappy grieving face all the time, making people believe that he really cared that his father had passed on. After all it's what they expected to see right? So, why not give the people what they want, ne? (Kris: lol )

It had been two weeks since Lucius Malfoy's body had been found bloodied and disfigured. Two frustrating weeks of Auror investigations and Ministry press conferences, and the Wizarding Worldwide (WWW) was hosting weeklong debates on the whole murder, spewing forth ridiculous theories that didn't come close to the truth. During those two weeks Draco had put on his greatest play, it was one he liked to call "Mourning" and there wasn't a bit of sincerity in it. But what does that matter, when everyone around you buys it?

"Your mask is slipping Malfoy," Draco sat straight up and turned around to see Harry Potter smirking down at him. Draco scowled, if one person had been a pain during those two weeks it had been Harry Potter. His constant presence made Draco feel…odd, as if there was some sort of itch just underneath the skin that he could not scratch. The Golden Boy had been there smirking wordlessly when Draco had feigned trauma and burst into tears in History of Magic, he had also been there when Draco had been led sniffling from CoMC, and he had been there when Pansy had yelled at Draco (so loudly that he could've heard it if he'd been in Gryffindor tower rather than down in the Great Hall) to stop moping and eat something or he would die. Harry Potter had been a silent and skeptical audience through all the acts of Draco's performance, smirking at him like an all knowing sadistic bastard. And the worst part was that Draco knew that the Golden Boy saw through his act.

"What mask are you talking about _Potter_? I, unlike you, don't need to wear one to keep the younger years from getting scared." this snide comment, much to Draco's disappointment, only brought another infamous Potter smirk to Harry's face.

"That's an interesting response Malfoy, but not quite up to your usual standards. Am I to believe that all this…er _mourning _has put you into some sort of funk?"

'_When did Potter get to be such an observant…Slytherin-ish prick?' _Draco thought, looking intently at Harry's smirking face.

"See something you like Malfoy? Or do I have something on my face?" Harry asked lightly, sitting down next to Draco and lying back. Draco found himself blushing for what seemed to be the millionth time, whenever he was around Harry he seemed to blush quite a bit1. And his body… 'No Draco, just stop thinking.'

"Of course I don't see anything I like Potter! I just thought I saw a really big zit! But it turns out it was your nose so I suppose that everything is fine here!"

Harry smiled slightly,

"Am I the only one getting a sense of Déjà vu?" he murmured, closing his eyes. Draco stared at him for a moment longer before resuming his previous relaxed position.

"So Malfoy, your performance is a hit. I guess I should congratulate you…" Harry's voice was calm and without malice

"I suppose so…I take roses, white roses, they look better with me next to them." Draco replied deciding that he would drop the act since it only made him look foolish; it was obvious that Harry had seen through it.

"Don't you mean that you look better with white roses, rather than red ones?"

"No I mean exactly what I said. They look better with me."

"Right. I'll put that on my to-do list. But I wonder why no one has seen through it…it's so obvious!" Draco could tell that this had been bothering Harry for a while,

"Not everyone can be a genius like the Great Harry Potter." Draco smirked and Harry scowled.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure this one out Malfoy, even you could do it." Draco winced, well, he had set that one up nicely.

"Nice jab Potter, are you sure you're not a Slytherin in disguise?" he said, partially disgusted with himself and partially surprised at Harry's quickness of tongue.

"Interestingly enough, I was going to be a Slytherin…had I let the Sorting Hat put me there." Draco sat up to look at the reclining Gryffindor, disbelief was etched all over his pale face.

"Don't lie to try and impress me Potter, you're a Gryffindork to the core." Draco said, but was horrified to find that it lacked much conviction. Harry smiled,

"It's true though, the Sorting Hat almost put me into Slytherin but I wanted to be in Gryffindor…" Draco let himself drift into a fantasy of what it would have been like had Harry Potter been in Slytherin.

He saw them sitting together on the train with Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, and Blaise all talking and joking. He saw himself and Harry on the same Quidditch team trouncing everyone else and always winning the House Cup. He saw the lack of constant fighting and rivalry between them and the friendship they had in its place. But the strangest and, oddly, the most desirable thing he saw was he and Harry curled up together in a bed that smelled just like Harry did, sleeping peacefully with their fingers entwined.

Draco blushed and pushed the image away before any other more desir-disturbing, ones took its place.

"It would have made being in Slytherin a total disgrace if you were there Potter. I guess I should thank Weasley for persuading you to be a Gryffindor then." He said smirking past his blush. Harry got up and was suddenly very close to Draco, his fingers slid to cup Draco's chin. Draco's vision was filled with Harry's green eyes which were solemn as they looked at him,

"By your blush Malfoy…" Harry said and Draco could feel his breath ghost along his skin, he shivered,

"I don't think that's what you imagined when you saw me in Slytherin. You should learn to slip off that mask of yours sometimes. I think you'd be more attractive if people saw the real you." Harry's fingers lingered for a little longer before he got up and began to walk away,

"Goodnight…_Draco_" he purred.

Behind him, Draco Malfoy was left flushed as bright red as a strawberry with his heart beating frantically in his chest.

Draco laid a hand over the place where Harry's fingers had touched and continued to stare after his retreating back,

"Stupid Gryffindor." He said. But he knew that he didn't really mean it.

Not at all.

* * *

At the edge of the Forbidden Forest a figure cloaked in all black watched their entire exchange. Dark eyes narrowed as Harry Potter walked by, seemingly unguarded and at ease. But this person knew better than to attack Harry Potter alone. The Golden Boy was his Master's to kill not his, if he killed Harry Potter now, then a much more grievous death awaited him at the hands of Lord Voldemort. So now he just watched, watched everything that Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter did and waited for the right time.

He reached into his cloak and produced a mirror,

"_Morsmordre._" he murmured into the mirror and the surface rippled.

"_What is it my Servant…_" the familiar hissing voice of Lord Voldemort came from the mirror, the cloaked man smiled,

"They grow closer each day My Lord, I believe that it is soon they will realize and mate." The line was silent for some time as if Voldemort was considering something,

"_Very good my Servant, your observations have done me much good. However it is time to step in and help them along. You must make them move faster, time is running out._" The servant nodded

"Yes Master." He said.

"_Now, you will return to your rooms and go to sleep. In the morning you will remember nothing, am I clear?_" the man nodded and dropped the mirror back into his pocket before proceeding back to the castle and to his dorms.

* * *

In Gryffindor Tower Hermione and Ron sat together waiting for Harry to return. It had become a sort of ritual for them since Harry often wandered out of the tower at night to walk and clear his head; it only seemed natural to wait for him just in case he never came back. Hermione was poring over her newest book for class and Ron was checking out Parvati Patil who sat giggling with her group of friends across the room.

This is what it _looked like_ however, that was not what was happening. In fact, Hermione was not looking at her book; she was looking at Ron and becoming increasingly furious at his blatant appraisal of another girl. And Ron was not just checking out Parvati Patil, he was communicating to her about a rather hilarious joke they had all heard in a Transfiguration lesson they had had that day. It was just his unfortunate luck that the faces he was making seemed to be suggestive and lecherous to Hermione.

Now, Hermione should not be very angry if she loved Ron the way she loved Harry. The only problem was that she didn't love Ron like that. Hermione loved Ron like a woman loves a man, this disturbing fact she had found out a few weeks ago as she watched Harry, Ron, Seamus, and Dean wrestle (for no reason as boys tended to do) and Ron's shirt had been pulled off. Ron was, in no way, as attractive bodily as Harry who was the most attractive male in the school (Next to Draco of course.) as far as a lot of the female and male population had to say, but to Hermione he was perfect.

Now Hermione, a girl whose biggest source of frustration was her grades, had a problem; whenever she was around Ron, she blushed needlessly. When he smiled at her she blushed, when he commented on any little thing about her she blushed. All the blushing she did was really starting to annoy her.

There was another big downside to being in love with Ron and that was the raging jealousy she felt whenever his eyes followed another girl. Ron was well known for his promiscuity, amongst the girls of fifth sixth and, impressively enough, seventh year he was known to be one of the top "one night stand" guys in the school (Second only to Blaise Zabini whose libido was legendary.).

Now as she sat trying to control herself, she realized what a problem her newfound amorous feelings would create. When she had learned of Puberty back in fourth grade health class, long before she had heard of Hogwarts, she had never thought that she, Hermione Granger, would ever be subject to such things as Hormones and Jealousy. Now she found herself a helpless slave to both of them and it was frustrating her.

Ron laughed suddenly at something Parvati said and Hermione's grip on her book tightened considerably. She wasn't really angry, not really, her heart just felt strange. It felt as if something were pulling at it, as if something was trying to smash it to pieces. It wasn't so bad that she felt the need to cry, but the more she saw Ron pay such attention to other females, the more painful it became.

Hermione knew that a lot of people would wonder why she didn't love Harry instead of Ron. In every way, Harry was the better man. He was more responsible, he was smarter, he was more mature (on some levels), and he was undeniably better looking. But Hermione was not the kind of girl to choose based on looks. Harry was obviously handsome and it wasn't a face one could tire of. His looks were unique, unlike many generically good looking students. Ron was good looking in this way as well, only his was more elusive. Ron's handsomeness lay _beneath_ the surface.

Hermione was unused to romantic language and thoughts so she could never explain it to anyone in a way that would make them see what she did whenever she looked at Ron. (KrisXD: Maybe she should read more romance novels. ) She had a distinct feeling that Harry would understand since Harry often saw the beauty beneath what seemed to be plain or ugly.

'_Just like he's seeing beneath Draco Malfoy.' _she thought. The way the two ex-rivals behaved held no bitterness lately, she realized it. The looks Draco sent Harry when he wasn't looking held contempt but it was only a cover. That contempt veiled something Hermione had known was there for a long time. Love.

Hermione sighed and put down her book. She felt no resentment for Draco Malfoy anymore. That had died a long time ago. Instead she felt a little cold, a little lonely. Harry had always been alone. He had, had the warmth of his adopted family but his heart belonged to no one but herself and Ron. Even more than Ron, Hermione kept Harry's love sacred; she cherished it like some women treasured precious jewelry. Ever since their first year she had, had Harry all to herself, no other girl had ever come close to touching him. Even Cho Chang had never intruded into that sanctuary. Hermione knew that Harry's heart now belonged to someone else, that someone who had finally snuck up on her and stolen it way.

The portrait opened and Harry walked in, smiling at her and looking rosy cheeked and cheerful. She smiled back and pushed away her sadness.

If Harry was happy then she could never show him her tears. She felt like a mother watching her child leave the house, stolen away by something that could love it more than she could. Harry didn't know it yet, but things were drawing to a head. Ron walked over to where she and Harry sat and dropped gracelessly next to her. Hermione blushed and Harry winked at her and smiled.

That smile had always been hers to treasure, and soon it would belong to someone else. Hermione felt her heart break a little more.

* * *

_The place he was felt very strange, as if he had been there before without knowing it. He realized that he was naked and didn't care, that in itself was strange. The air smelled very familiar, like the special scent someone dear to him had. _

"_I see that you've finally started to realize it, even if it is unconsciously." he spun and faced a beautiful man who was smirking at him, standing where there once was nothing. _

"_Little Dragon…Why is it that you are blind to everything concerning your heart?" the man said, appearing suddenly behind him and laying a slender hand on his shoulder. _

"_Never mind. I am afraid that I shall have to speed things up, the stars have predicted something most grievous happening if you and your mate do not bond soon…"_

_He didn't know what to say to that but knew he must ask something,_

"_What is your name?" he managed and the man smiled at him,_

"_I, young one, am Hiathos. I must guide you to He who shall forever be called Love to you. It has been ordained by the stars." He began to fade,_

"_Please, how will I find this mate?" he cried, Hiathos smiled,_

"_The one you seek is always before you, watching, knowing, and protecting. His eyes are powerful and are the key to victory against those who hunt him. Goodbye little Dragon…"_

Draco woke up.

* * *

Slytherins were never awoken by obnoxious sunlight creeping through their windows, unlike their counterparts the Gryffindors, as they had none since they were in a dungeon. Instead, an irritating noise had been spelled to sound from the walls whenever it was time to wake up.

Draco Malfoy was already up, having woken from his strange dream hours ago. Blaise Zabini and Crabbe and Goyle were the only boys left in the dorm when the alarm went off. Crabbe and Goyle lumbered off to breakfast as usual leaving Blaise to slowly rise. He was usually quite the early riser, but for some reason he was having trouble waking up. His body and mind felt ravaged, as if he had swallowed a substantial amount of alcohol the previous night. He was having trouble remembering what he had done after dinner. He obviously hadn't slept with anyone since he wasn't in a strange bed and there was no one beside him. He hadn't gotten drunk since, aside from the initial disorientation and slight pain, there were no hangover symptoms.

Blaise got up and went to his trunk to pull out some clothes. Strangely enough it was already open. His usually neat things were in place except for a dark cloak and dark pants and shirt. What were those doing there? He raised and eyebrow and figured that Draco had gone through his things again before folding them.

When he felt an ominous prickle along his skin when he touched the fabric he dismissed it as his imagination.

He didn't know that his "imagination" was very accurate.

* * *

"Veelic Veritas potion today, you will all work in pairs…that** I** assign." Snape, Harry found, was in a _terrible _mood. Harry sat back and waited, the usual pairs were set aside for the ones Snape used when he was in an especially bad mood and Harry already knew who is partner was going to be.

"Potter and Malfoy!" Harry almost rolled his eyes at Snape's predictability and got up to join the Slytherin, waving a small goodbye to Hermione (Who was looking neutral with her partner of Pansy Parkinson).

"You're all OWL level Potions students now. You should be able to brew this potion efficiently. I must take my leave of you now; I will be leaving Professor Harris-Fisherman with you. Begin!" Snape said and swept out of the room.

Draco glanced at Harry,

"I reckon he didn't get any last night…" Harry muttered and Draco smirked,

"Probably not." He replied lightly, they smiled at each other and Harry got up to get the ingredients.

The Veelic Veritas potion was mildly difficult to brew but Draco and Harry had no problem with it. In no time their brew was finished and they had the rest of the class to wait for it to simmer down. They sat in amicable silence, Harry was writing something and Draco seemed to be staring into space.

He wasn't really staring into space though. His eyes wandered over to the boy sitting next to him, unconsciously taking in everything he could about the Gryffindor. It seemed like he did this automatically every time they were together. Harry suddenly looked at him,

"Something you wanted?" he asked, Draco blushed and became flustered,

"N-nothing!" he stuttered. Inwardly he cringed. Malfoys never stutter, never falter, always have the upper hand. Harry had gone back to writing and Draco calmed himself.

Unfortunately for him, Harry Potter wasn't any other person put into a category by some family handbook, he was refusing to adhere to the Malfoy Code and Draco was finding it increasingly difficult to try and make him.

Hermione sighed,

"Look at them," she said, running her hand through her hair. Pansy sighed as well and slumped down on her desk,

"I know, it's disgusting and annoying isn't it?"

Hermione smiled a little,

"They really are blind though aren't they?" she said. Pansy smirked and watched as Draco's eyes slid over to Harry's face again,

"They are…I wonder how much longer it'll take?" Hermione lifted a shoulder in a shrug,

"Being them? I think we'll have to wait for a long time."

"Did you love him very much?" Pansy looked disinterested but Hermione knew better than to believe in what she saw before her. She smiled,

"Not at all. I love him like a mother and a sister but never as a woman. Did _you _love _him _very much?" Hermione did not need the answer, she knew.

"Like the very air I breathe…" Pansy's words were laced with a certain wistfulness, she looked to where Draco and Harry where again.

"I suppose you, like I, have already shed your tears." she murmured.

Hermione closed her eyes,

"I've cried for and because of him enough to last a lifetime, it's enough now. Have you cried for _him_?" Pansy only nodded.

"I guess we've both said goodbye then. I suppose you'll soon get that thick-headed Weasley to notice you and have millions of red headed babies in the future…" Pansy joked. Hermione looked over at Ron, who sat flirting with Lavender Brown,

"Maybe, but it won't be soon…" Pansy looked at her from beneath her lashes,

"If you wait too long, some girl who sees the same thing in him that you do will take him." She noticed with interest that Hermione paled.

"You have a frightening way of motivating people Pansy…" she said. Pansy didn't say anything and the bell rang.

* * *

The room was dim but Harry could see that it was rather large. The bed he was in was very big as well and from the looks of it he was not the only one lying in it. He looked over and saw a pale person lying asleep in the bed next to him, the long blonde hair stood out starkly from the dark bedcovers. Harry looked at the face and, with a jolt, recognized a peacefully sleeping Draco Malfoy.

Harry's eyes traveled from the beautiful sleeping face to the body. His eyes widened as he saw the distinct curve in Draco's body. Harry reached out and ran his hands over the firm swell. Pulling back the covers he saw Draco's stomach, swollen and heavy with child.

A hand slipped on top of his and Harry looked into Draco's eyes. The beautiful man smiled,

"Harry Love, why're you awake? Is there something wrong?" He said. Harry looked down at their joined hands on the swollen stomach where he was sure their child grew and smiled,

"No, nothing at all." He said, and leaned in for a kiss. When his lips met nothing he opened his eyes and found himself in his bed in Gryffindor Tower.

It had been a dream.

Harry was considerably peeved.

"I've just had a dream where I was sleeping with a heavily preggo Draco Malfoy and was going to kiss him but didn't because I woke up…and now I can't stop wondering what he would taste like if I really kissed him!" he muttered to himself. In the dream Draco Malfoy's lips had looked _really _inviting, '_I wonder if they taste as good as they look…_' Harry thought.

He decided that he was going to have to find out for himself, and for his sanity.

Lily: UUUWAAAAH! 11 pages! My back hurts! It is now 3:44 AM and I am writing this and finishing now! I'm so tiiired. But I inserted a little bit of love love interaction as well as answering almost none of your Voldemort themed questions. Are u suspicious yet? Are there tons of questions buzzing about in your heads? I'm sorry! Next chapter we'll have Blaise Explained and some yummy Flavors. Also, did you want to know more about Lucius Malfoy and who it really was that died? Let me give you a hint (though I seem to be bad at it)

The one whose murder was truly done upon a bed of roses is a man whose name is **odd **in its **meaning** and whose brother took a **dark** woman to marry.

Think on it closely, I'm sure you can get it! If you know what I mean with my clues.

Cheers!

Review plz


	12. A Romantic Interlude II

**Lily**: O.O so I suppose many of you are liking my web of mystery and deceit and such. Either that or desperately trying to break free.

**Anime Monster**: Lily no SHOCKU! Omedeto for you know what!

**Makalani Astral**: Slytherin Harry, had he existed in the actual novels, I think would have made a more enjoyable Harry than whiny Gryffindor Harry. But then…a lot of things would not have happened and I'm sure his being in Gryffindor and being a "true" Gryffindor (so said by Dumbledore) has some very big significance to the plot.

**LadyDragonWolfKnight**: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Mysterious glance at Hiathos who is innocently brushing his hair. Oh…you'll see

**Mimifoxlove**: Thanks for the compliments

1: You, m'dear, are entirely correct on that. Voldemort does have a plan involving kidnap and Draco in the same sentence

2: That was my favorite too. And about HermionexRon thanks, I thought I did a bum job describing her infatuation in all it's suddenness since it kind of happened in only last chapter

3: Read on and Find out

4: Understand that Lucious **is **a full blooded Wizard. I've decided that the Malfoy bloodline is pure, spotless! Earlier on I mentioned that anyone carrying a Veela gene will inherit some sort of special power. Narcissa Black Malfoy carries a recessive Veela gene which is made Dominant in Draco. Narcissa is said to have Great Beauty, this is what she inherited from her Veela gene. Draco got the shit end of the stick one could say because he was not the skip generation (the one that didn't get it).

You have a great many questions that I'm sure you've thought out, thanks for all your compliments. In honor of that I'll dedicate this chapter to you as well.

**Lunelwe**: Omedeto to you as well. I do so love clever people.

**Danish Pastry 28**: Ah you as well have wended your way through my trick. Thanks though, I was beginning to believe that I had a chronic riddle making deficiency. Omedeto to you as well!

**Olupotter18**: your wondering pointed you in a good direction, now you just need to pick apart the specifics.

To everyone else, I love you all! Thanks for reviewing; I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Chapter Dedication to**: mimifoxlove for their curiousness and thoughtfulness.

Please Enjoy

* * *

The funeral was small and completely private. No one shed a tear and barely a sincere word was spoken through the whole thing. Bellatrix stood stony faced by Rodolphus who looked very blasé for a man whose brother was being buried. Rabastan had not been the most tolerable of men. No one felt any loss at his death, not even the deceased's own family.

When the affair was over, the remaining Lestranges retreated to the manor to pore over the dead man's will. Rabastan had been a younger son and thus entitled to nothing near the amount Rodolphus had been. They found his meager holdings entitled to his next of kin, Bellatrix sneered,

"Oh look at this Rodolphus, your dear brother has given you all his worldly goods! I suppose you could buy one shoe with the amount he's left!" she laughed sadistically and rang for a house elf. Rodolphus smirked lazily,

"Bella darling, do not mock Rabastan because he was a pauper, he did give his life for our Lord's cause after all." he fingered the fine linen paper his brother's will was written on as Bellatrix laughed,

"Why not Rodolphus? The poor are meant to be mocked; only the purebred upper-class deserves any respect. Isn't this what we've worked for all our lives?" a small pop sounded at her feet and Bellatrix scowled down at the house elf that had just appeared,

"Dinky! You're late! Explain!" her slanting eyes narrowed and her mouth creased into a scowl. The house elf trembled and raised up her thin arms in defense,

"I is sorry Mistress! You is having guests and Dinky is the only one to receive them!" Bellatrix's eyes widened and she glance at her husband who was already heading to the door. Rodolphus glanced once back at her before exiting the room,

"I'll see who has...graced us with their presence," he said and shut the door quietly behind himself. Bellatrix looked down at the house elf that had relaxed enough to fiddle with her uniform hem and kicked her. Dinky wailed and Bellatrix smirked, life was always better when hurting something else.

"So, the funeral was today..." Lucius Malfoy's voice had always made Rodolphus's skin prickle; it was as if every syllable carried a hidden insult or death threat. Rodolphus schooled his features into a calm mask and smiled at the blonde man before him,

"Yes, it was today Lucius. I take it that you had other business to attend to this morning..." Rodolphus risked the tiny insult to the other man. Lucius had been invited to the funeral; it was an extremely private and exclusive event which many lesser upper-class families had been salivating to attend. It was an obvious snub to the Lestrange family that Lucius had not attended and Rodolphus could not let it go unchallenged, even if it was a very subtle one. Besides, Rodolphus was sure that Lucius had missed it.

"You weren't there today, we missed you greatly..."

A glacial smile slipped into place on Lucius's lips and suddenly the air in became very cold,

"I am sure." so he had caught the insult, Rodolphus cringed.

"I did not come here for pleasantries Rodolphus. The Dark Lord has sent me to inform you of the commencement of the next stage." Rodolphus nodded grimly, Lucius turned and gave him one last icy look before disapparating.

Once he was gone Rodolphus stood clenching and unclenching his fists. A man had died for the sake of another. That man was his brother and he had died to preserve the Dark Lord's ideal. Now the man he had died in place of acted as if it was nothing, as if Rabastan Lestrange was just another muggle who'd died, not the noble wizard his brother was. Rodolphus poured himself a scotch and threw it down in one burning gulp.

He hated Lucius Malfoy.

* * *

Chocolate? No, that was entirely too cliché.

Strawberry? No, that was too feminine.

Bubblegum? No! He wasn't a jelly bean!

Harry's emerald eyes focused discreetly on the Slytherin table, watching from his perch behind the Daily Prophet. His tongue dragged across his dry lips and his eyes narrowed, his brain going into overdrive. For two weeks he had barely hung onto his sanity as he tried desperately to kiss Draco Malfoy. Every time that little pink tongue darted across those lips Harry felt a powerful jolt of desire course through his body. He dreamt constantly of finally kissing that mouth and releasing the tension from his body and mind. He was beginning to think that his deductive skills were always really nothing but dumb luck.

"Maybe he doesn't even taste nice, maybe he tastes like cabbage…" Harry murmured after discarding the idea that he tasted like honey,

"Draco Malfoy would never in a million years taste like cabbage unless he had just finished eating one." Harry jumped and flushed bright red as Hermione, who was sitting next to him on the bench, turned to look thoughtfully at Draco as well.

"_Hermione!_" Harry hissed, more embarrassed than he thought he'd ever been in his life. Hermione looked unperturbed,

"What is it Harry? Have I disturbed something?" she said innocently, but Harry knew better than to believe this look.

"How long?" he said resignedly Hermione shrugged,

"Have I known that you've secretly liked him or have I known that you want to snog him to within an inch of his life?' Harry winced at her bluntness,

"The latter since the former holds not an inch of truth."

Hermione let loose a short laugh and looked at him skeptically,

"Are you very sure of that Harry? Because I think you're in denial and you've never been good at hiding that…" she said, Harry scowled,

"Answer the question please 'Mione." He said.

"Oh, I got the hint four days ago when you ignored the food Ron snuck into Potions and opted to stare at Draco Malfoy for the rest of the class." Hermione shrugged again and Harry groaned,

"Am I really so obvious?" he asked. Hermione shot him a falsely sympathetic look,

"Afraid so," she said and got up.

"Harry, if you want my advice, which I'm sure you don't but will be grateful for later anyway, I'd say that you need to be straightforward. No subtlety and no dawdling, just march up to him in an abandoned hallway and kiss him before he can realize what's happening. Do that and this all-consuming fascination with what he tastes like might be sated. But then again…" she added, a sly smirk quirking her lips,

"You might just lust for more. Later!" she walked out of the Great Hall. Harry shook his head,

"What a weird woman!" he said and got up as well.

* * *

"Draco, am I going to have to tell you to eat that somewhere else or get rid of it _again_?" Pansy Parkinson was getting rather annoyed. For two weeks Draco's strange eating habits had increased and Pansy was not going to put up with anymore salmon-jam-and-egg salad sandwiches. Draco sighed and pushed away his egg-and-syrup wrap watching wistfully as it promptly disappeared.

"Pansyyyy!" he whined already feeling the loss of what he was sure would have been a really good breakfast, the girl only scowled,

"Draco, I love you, I really do, but the foods you eat aren't even fit for pregnant women. Why do you eat such strange things?" Pansy didn't even feel like eating her own fried egg, Draco frowned,

"Pans I told you, mating season is around this time, I feel more inclined to eat this stuff than to eat anything else!" he cried, feeling exasperated. He didn't really like consuming such strange food either but it was a must since they all contained the nutrients he needed in his body towards mating season. Draco looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

'_One month…' _he thought, tightening his fingers into a fist. It was one month until his mating season would start, one month until the difficult period he would have to endure, and even more difficult because he had no mate.

"Life just can't get any worse." Draco murmured.

Unfortunately for him, he was completely and disastrously wrong.

* * *

"Wormtail!" the raspy voice he so despised reached his ears. He had sworn he was too far away to hear any verbal summons his master gave; it would appear that he was wrong. Quivering in fear and disgust, Wormtail scuttled to his master.

"Y-yes My Lord?" he stuttered, avoiding looking at the ugly snake-like face that scowled down at him.

"Begin packing our things! Free Nagini and allow her to feed. We'll be leaving soon." Wormtail knew without being told why his master needed to leave so suddenly. It had to do with the Potter boy, because **everything** Lord Voldemort did had to do with Harry Potter. Wormtail bowed very low,

"Y-yes My Lord." He stuttered and quickly fled the room.

'_Harry Potter' _the name sent chills down Wormtail's spine. Ever since the fool had spared his life near three years previous Wormtail had been perpetually frightened. Afraid that the boy would invoke the power of their Wizard's debt and force Wormtail into something that would get him killed by his master. Thus far it had yet to happen. Hopefully the foolish boy had forgotten; that would be a blessing in itself. But this small wish did not stop him from cringing every time he heard the boy's name. The Dark Lord was unaware of the Wizard's debt Wormtail had with the Potter boy and, if Wormtail had any say in it, he wouldn't be finding out.

* * *

"God! Is Snape always such a prat when he's got classes with us!" Harry grumbled. He and Hermione were walking away from a long hard session of potions with Snape who had been in the vilest of moods yet. Gryffindor sported 50 deducted House points and, surprisingly, Slytherin bent under a whopping 40 deducted points. It was the first time Harry had ever seen Snape take points from his own house.

Hermione rolled her eyes but she really was wondering what was making Snape so irritable all of a sudden. Hermione, being the deeply perceptive person she was, had noticed far more than Snape's irritability. She had noticed his fatigue, the dark circles under his eyes, how his skin was beginning to turn gray, and his new skittishness. Whenever the smallest of explosions occurred Hermione could see his, very well veiled but still evident, twitches. Whatever it was that had set Snape off was something big and most definitely connected to the Dark Arts and Lord Voldemort.

"Oi Herm! Are you listening?" Harry interrupted her musing and she snapped back to reality with a blink.

"Sorry, what where you saying Harry?" she said sheepishly. Her dark haired friend raised an eyebrow but repeated his sentence nonetheless,

"I've noticed something about you lately…it concerns Ron..." Hermione immediately colored and averted her eyes.

"Er…what about Ron and I Harry?" she asked, thankful that her voice sounded normal. Harry smirked,

"You've been on about me and wanting to kiss Draco Malfoy while you, yourself, have been sporting a huge crush on our best friend…" he noted, with much sadistic satisfaction, that her already pink face turned violently red.

"I don't know where you got that idea Harry…" she murmured and Harry suddenly looked past her down the hallway,

"Hey Ron!" he called and Hermione immediately whipped around hands flying into a frenzy to flatten her hair and tug at her clothes. When her eyes returned their focus on the hallway and saw no one there she whirled to glare at Harry who was smiling like the Cheshire cat himself.

"That…" she said, "Was very underhanded."

Harry's smile widened.

"No…it was clever."

"Cretin." she murmured and Harry hugged her,

"I love you too." he replied.

"Well, isn't this lovely." They turned around to see Draco Malfoy smirking at them. Hermione smiled slyly and kissed Harry on the cheek,

"Well Harry, this is where I leave you!" she said and disentangled herself from Harry's arms. She turned and fixed Draco (who looked very puzzled) with a critical look. After a moment she smiled brightly at him and patted his shoulder,

"You might just work Malfoy." She said and waved goodbye before running down the hallway and out of sight.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Draco said, looking slightly dumbstruck and wiping his shoulder with such ferocity that one would thing Granger had lit him on fire right there in the hallway. Harry shrugged and turned to walk away,

"I'm going for a walk since it's break period. I assume it's your break period as well and seeing as you are currently missing your two better halves, I'd say that you are alone this break." Draco began to reply but Harry held up a hand,

"No retorts Malfoy, what I'm asking really is if you'd like to take a stroll with me since the both of us are currently alone. And don't worry;" he added as an afterthought, "We'll walk in all the deserted corridors so no one will be able to see us."

Draco decided not to argue and shrugged,

"Fine then _Potter _we'll walk." he said, purposely using Harry's last name. The Gryffindor only smiled and raised his eyebrow,

"Shall we?" he said comically, offering an arm with a mock bow. Draco found himself smiling, and then he came up with a good idea,

"We shall." he replied and took Harry's offered arm. The Golden Boy looked shell-shocked and Draco suppressed a laugh. After a moment Harry seemed to recover and they set out for their walk.

"So _Draco _what's been going on in your life lately?" Harry asked as they ambled through the halls. He sounded very calm but in reality his body had gone into overdrive. Draco's hand, quite a bit smaller than his own, seemed to be burning a hole through the fabric of his shirt. The very fact that the other boy was so close was making Harry hot and mildly uncomfortable, but not in a bad way. Harry glanced down at Draco who seemed perfectly relaxed as he replied,

"Nothing is going on _Potter _but I can see that you've got a lot going on in your life! Mudblood and Scarhead! I would have never imagined! And yet you two freaks seem so perfect for each other!" For some reason as Draco said this he felt a sharp pang of jealousy and pain slice through him, and it turned his voice slightly bitter. Harry came to an abrupt halt,

"What gives you the idea that I am in love with Hermione?" he asked, Draco looked up at him,

"Well you were just hugging quite intimately in the middle of a deserted hallway, _and_ your redheaded friend was nowhere to be seen, now was he?" he replied calmly. They began to walk again as Harry smirked at him,

"If you haven't noticed _Draco, _Hermione and I have known each other since first year! It isn't uncommon to hug a girl you've known for that long wherever you are! Besides, she's more like a sister to me." Draco, of course, knew this was true since he and Pansy often still slept in the same bed whenever she came over to the manor. He scowled,

"Yeah well it was a possibility since you lot are always so close!" Harry let loose a roar of laughter that stopped Draco in his tracks.

"Draco, closeness is what makes us _friends _we can't be friends if we're not close to each other; I don't mean physically either." Harry said, still laughing.

Draco suddenly found the idea of anyone being close to Harry very loathsome, anyone aside from himself. Warning bells began to chime in his head, there was a reason for that thought, wasn't there? Draco covered up his state of emotional turmoil with a sneer,

"Right Potter, who'd want to be close to _you_?" the barb was delivered in an unconvincing tone that held no malice. Harry stopped once again and turned to Draco who'd snatched away his hand from Harry's arm,

"You want to know who I think wouldn't mind being close to me?" the raven haired teen said, taking a step closer to Draco who, in turn, took a step back.

"No one, that's who, Potter!" Draco spat, trying to sound disgusted but not pulling it off.

Harry took another step forward and Draco stepped back only to meet the wall. He looked up at Harry and was suddenly reminded of the very noticeable difference in their heights. The Gryffindor leaned down slightly and took Draco's face in his hand. Suddenly Draco froze, his body reacting to the touch.

"Not no one _Draco_…" Harry's face was dangerously close and Draco suddenly could not breathe very well, "You."

The first thing Harry realized was that Draco Malfoy tasted sweeter than anything he had ever imagined and that it was not a taste one could place to any known flavor. Harry's senses were swamped with Draco, his feel, his scent, his voice.

For Draco, as soon as Harry's lips connected with his, his body shut down momentarily, he stood in shock as the Golden Boy kissed him gently. But then his body seemed to wake up and his senses were flooded. Every nerve in his body sang from the kiss he was receiving. For two months Draco had denied his body everything, his resolve had been solid; yet as Harry Potter stood there kissing him, that resolve deep inside him broke. With a small moan, Draco lifted his arms to hang around Harry's neck, his hands dove into the messy mane of dark hair, and he pressed his body into Harry's own. The Gryffindor gave a strangled cry of what sounded like relief and kissed Draco with renewed vigor. When Draco felt Harry's tongue at his lips, asking for entrance, he opened his mouth willingly to it and felt a whole new kind of ecstasy. Harry's hands were at his face, cradling gently as he ravaged his mouth, they never moved and Draco knew he would be grateful for that if he could think.

"_Draco…_" Harry groaned, placing kisses all over the Slytherin's face. Draco's body responded violently to those kisses, it became glaringly clear that Draco had denied his Veela side its mate for too long.

Draco did not know how long they had been pressed together in that hallway, kissing each other, but soon the bell sounded to end their rest period. The loud noise seemed to jar them both out of their passion induced trance. Harry stared at him aghast,

"I-I'm so sorry!" he cried, he stepped away from Draco and ran down the hall. Draco stared after him for a moment before sliding down the wall and bringing a trembling hand to his lips. They were swollen and probably red. Draco sighed and got up, heading for the Slytherin dorms.

When he reached his room he lay down on his bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. He had just been kissed by Harry Potter.

Harry Potter…. Who is his…mate?

Slowly, very slowly, realization dawned on him.

Harry Potter was his mate.

He felt like laughing, screaming, and crying all at the same time. Instead he turned over in bed and closed his eyes. Soon he was in a deep sleep, regardless of the fact that he had classes which he was missing.

He dreamed of a long hallway and being kissed as if the world would end.

* * *

Blaise was not sure if his plan had worked. He was lucky that he had spotted Potter disappearing around the corner to a deserted hallway, he was lucky that Draco had been with him at the time, he was lucky that he had many pre-thought excuses. He was not sure if this constituted as "speeding things up" but he supposed that he had done what was best for the situation. He sat and waited until the bell rang to end rest period. Harry Potter ran out from the hallway looking distraught and flushed, Blaise's face stretched into an unnatural smile. So things _had _been "sped up". His master would be pleased. Suddenly he became dizzy and stumbled slightly. When he opened his eyes Blaise looked around, slightly confused, what had he been doing for the past hour? Where was he? Why did he feel so lightheaded?

He was beginning to worry about himself. He was sure that blacking out and then finding himself somewhere he had not been previous to blacking out was not normal. Did he sleepwalk? Was there something wrong with him? The warning bell rang sonorously overhead and he realized that he needed to get to his next class; he'd worry about sleepwalking and blacking out later.

**Lily**: I realize that this is a bit shorter than my other chapter recently, I am very sorry. I had severe writer's block and that is why this chapter might seem so "blah" (forced) ah well, hopefully I won't have any problems next chapter.

About RL (He has the same initials as Lupin! BOTH OF THEM DO!) chyeah, it was Rabastan Lestrange, bravo to those of you who figured it out despite my bad clues!

SO! Y'all finally got a kiss! Did I do well? Was it ok? (Kris: YEAH! Ka-ching!) Will there be repercussions? Heck yes!

j'espere que vous vous etes amuse (amus-AY) pendant cette chapitre

…yeah, I can't type accents, and while this sentence nearly means nothing sans the accents It doesn't matter because the general meaning of it gets across. Meaning: I hope you had fun during this chapter. I've realized that it's really hard to put reflexives in the past tense again, I've forgotten.


	13. I Found Him

Lily: O.O so apparently people like kisses…ah, well, yes, they're nice and all, it took a really long time to get it out though. But now I doubt there's going to be more kissing…at least for now, or at least as long as I can resist inserting it (which is about two paragraphs in). Aha! I kid avec vous. In reality, I am relieved that I finally got The Kiss (as it will be referred to as from now on) out and rolling. Because now that some sort of sexual contact has been made…well…let's just say that everything will be easier. Anyways, I am very tired, I went to Warped Tour on Sunday and I have gotten maybe a total of 10 hours of sleep between my cuz's house and work. It was insane though! Anyways, I just wanted to explain the delay in this chapter.

**Rlmess**: hahahahha just wait to start hating Snape until I get to the real plot behind him. (evil smirk and sly laugh)

**Danish Pastry 28**: You know me too well, mwahahahahahahahaha!

**Anime-san**: How true

**Arwen Applestone**: so my plot is very clear hrm? Like saran wrap…only cheaper and more sticky.

**Mimifoxlove**: another long one, you seem to think through a lot of these.

1: was it really? I couldn't tell…but maybe it's because I was writing it.

2: I have a love/hate relationship with Bellatrix Lestrange, I'll not kill her so easily until she does something really evil…like kicking Draco.

3: He's the one who told Draco to take the hallway Harry and Hermione were in.

4: thanks, I was going for a very comfortable atmosphere between the two of them. I always believe that, between Hermione and Harry there's something different than what Harry and Ron have, and not just because she's female. I tried to put it into words in Hermione's spiel on her crush on Ron.

5: I had planned to

6: You're very welcome, you deserved it

7: Or will he be? I don't like when Ron is an arse about homosexuality. I think he'd stick with Harry through everything, especially after reading HBP. I do know that he will not gel very well with Draco at first and will probably never be completely comfortable around him.

I am saving my money to go see "The Brothers Grimm" at the end of the month first. I am broke after Warped Tour, buying all that stuff from ebay, and my new DVD burner (squeals)

**Olupotter18**: I think a lot of people guessed someone from the Lestrange family but could not pinpoint which one. I suppose my clue giving needs work

**Kavfh**: ah welcome back! About Mating month (grins and starts to look evil) it will certainly be quite interesting. Don't hate Blaise! I love Blaise! He doesn't know any better! And Snape…I like him too, but you can wait to hate him AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!

**Mars explorer**: yeah…maybe I've not made him sharp enough. Or it's just because he's thick about love.

To all of you I did not get, I love you all! Thanks for reading!

Please Enjoy

* * *

It occurred to him that dinner would begin soon: He did not care. His sole concern lay three hours previous in a deserted hallway and it was this that kept him from attending the remainder of his classes.

He had kissed Draco Malfoy.

His tongue had known the deepest caverns of Draco Malfoy's mouth.

He had tasted Draco Malfoy's saliva.

And he had thought that it was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted in his life.

He was Harry Potter, a 16 year old boy who lay in his dorm on his bed completely clothed and so confused and aroused that it was beginning to hurt. Yes. He, Harry Potter, was having a "problem" because of Draco Malfoy.

He had spent the last three hours coming up with excuses. It couldn't have been the heat, it wasn't that hot. Not the food or else he would have acted strangely all day and eventually vomited. It wasn't even his workload because, though gargantuan, he had borne it all year without such behavior. His last sanctuary lay in the fact that Draco was a Veela and even that had been destroyed by the knowledge that he had been resistant to Draco's hormone since the beginning. Something in the back of Harry's head seemed to start ringing at the remembrance of that fact but it refused to become clear. Harry was missing something very important.

Yet even worse than knowing that he was missing something big was the fact that he had not hated kissing Draco Malfoy. Not one particle of his being had disliked it in any way and his straining erection was proof of that.

Harry groaned and got up. He might as well go and take care of that "problem" in the shower before his housemates returned.

* * *

_Mating Season_

_Veela, like many other magical beings, have a mating season. It lasts a minimum of one month and a maximum of three. During this time many different things happen to a Veela's body. _

_A submissive Veela's body, during this time, is more fertile (Veela who do not want children are strongly advised to put powerful contraceptive spells on themselves before and during this time). It is made so by a build up of excess hormone over the months, the more hormone a Veela creates on average, the longer their mating season lasts .Also, Veela store an abundance of hormone but **do not **give it off; the excess hormone is used to give energy to the Veela (as mating season is a time of increased sexual activity) and to aid in accommodating any offspring created during this time. Close to mating season, a submissive Veela will ingest more glucose rich foodstuffs to aid in the rapid creation and storage of hormone their body is doing._

_During mating season a submissive Veela's instincts go into overdrive and they are very temperamental. Their behavior is a natural defense against predators who would scheme to take them away from their mates. This behavior increases when a Veela is impregnated; during the first and very last months of their pregnancy only their mate is able to touch them without upsetting them._

_A dominant Veela, during mating season, experiences a heightened sexual appetite as well. Their more carnal desires take a higher priority than most things. Their excess of hormone, though not nearly as much as a submissive's, goes into making them more potent and thus they are more likely to impregnate their mate. The "sperm" of a dominant Veela always carries some hormone in it. This is what will trigger a change in their mate (no matter the gender) and allow them to bear their offspring._

_Veela have one type of gametic materiel between both genders. Humans have sperms and eggs, Veela only have PH. PH is a non-gender specific gamete that can either fertilize or be fertilized. The hormone it carries specifies its duty. PH are differently shaped depending on the Veela, dominant Veela have cylindrical PH and Submissive Veela have star shaped PH. Normally PHs are infused with a certain amount of hormone to give direction to it and to react with the body of the mate, however during mating season PHs are infused with ten times the regular amount of hormone for near guaranteed conception. _

_During Mating Season a Veela's sexual appetite tends to increase since the scent of their mates become mysteriously more alluring. It is said that, since less hormone is given off, whenever they do chance to smell it they become aroused. This is not the same reason as why submissive Veela with mates who are not Veela become aroused. That is attributed to the heightened senses a submissive Veela has at this time; their ability to catch their mate's scent increases and affects them more. _

_Veela do not, as popular belief says, go into a frenzied sexual heat during mating season. They are capable of resisting their mate's scent based on their level of self control. Veela, though not human, are not animals, their mating season can be explained as the diffusing of excess hormone through coitus; it lacks any of the romance humans have forced into it through the centuries. Mating Season does involve and increase in sexual activity but not the radical and animalistic madness some believe it does._

_

* * *

_

He felt like he was not in the world he called his own. His mouth was slightly sore, his body felt strange and somewhat achy, and his heart had been beating very quickly for at least an hour.

It was all Potter's fault.

Everything was. Draco suddenly became very angry, he had been doing nothing out of the ordinary, aside from walking arm in arm with him, and suddenly he was being kissed! And even worse than that, Harry had run off as soon as he had broken away, what a fiasco!

But even so…

Draco sighed. It had been a very nice kiss. His very first in all seriousness. Draco ran a finger over his slightly swollen lips and felt his heart do that funny flopping thing it did whenever he thought about kissing Potter. Yes, there was no denying it; he had loved being kissed by Harry Potter.

Harry Potter who, he remembered with a rush of giddiness, was his mate.

"Oh God…" Draco murmured as he felt the ridiculous smile he had been sporting for most of the evening start to unfold again. There was no reason to be happy about being Harry Potter's mate. There was no reason to dream of marrying Harry Potter. There was no reason to imagine the myriad of beautiful children he would bear for Harry Potter. No, no reason at all.

"Except that I think I'm falling in love…" Draco groaned and closed his eyes. He was being ridiculous, he'd known Potter most of his life, but had he really _known _Harry Potter?

'_You know that he loves his friends deeply, he has all those stupid Gryffindork values, he's a parseletongue, he's an orphan whose family was killed with the help of mine, he's a guy who'll eat mostly anything and who will protect what and who he loves. You know that he's loyal, that he wears tatty clothes but manages to look good in them, you know that he loves quidditch and that he's an excellent player like his father. You know that when he smiles he only has one dimple and that one of his front teeth are chipped and...and...oh God! I'm not falling in love!' _Draco opened his eyes and groaned.

"I already _am _in love!"

* * *

Ronald Weasley was possibly the thickest man on the planet when it came to love. He had noticed Hermione's strange behavior, had noticed all their collective friends leering at them when they sat together, had tried to listen as Harry talked about Hermione when she was not there as if she was a goddess. But he had not understood what they all meant when they connected. It was in the beginning of making out with a seventh year Ravenclaw that he finally joined all the occurrences together to form a complete thought.

One that was entirely wrong.

'_So' _he thought as Mandy whatever-her-last-name-is sucked on his ear

'_Hermione and Harry are going out…' _Ron felt a rush of three very strange emotions hit him at once but he held himself back from investigating since Mandy whatnot had decided to start clawing off his shirt and the bell for dinner would ring very soon. If there was one thing Ron loved more than women it was food.

He would decide on what he felt about Harry and Hermione later.

Probably.

* * *

"Wormtail!" the Dark Lord was not pleased, his greasy servant scuttled up to him and bowed low,

"Yes master?" he said. Evil red eyes gleamed at him,

"Where is the information sent by our spy in that school!" Wormtail flinched at the anger in his master's voice and bowed lower,

"Master, our informant has just told us what we already know; the Potter boy is young Malfoy's mate. Their relationship progresses well thus far and soon the Veelic mating season arrives." The Dark Lord's anger made the flames roar,

"_WHAT?_" he bellowed, his voice saturated with loathing and anger,

"What did you say!" Wormtail felt himself weaken, he would pass out from fear if his master shouted again and then he would certainly die.

"Th-that the Potter boy and Young Malfoy are progressing mysteriously well My Lord…" Voldemort scowled, deep in thought.

'_So…they get along better than I have planned for. No, if they love each other by the time I am ready and strong enough I can never succeed. This must be stopped. I will have to contact Severus tonight. I have done too much to get here, even killed one of my greatest servants, nothing will stop me now'_

_

* * *

_

"Ronald Bilius Weasley! If you think you're sitting next to me, you are sadly mistaken!" Hermione was on the verge of tears, though none could tell. It was dinnertime and she had been happy to get out of class and to relax. She had been looking forward to spending dinner alone with Ron since she knew Harry had been in his dorm since the afternoon. But all her dreams and hopes had been crushed the second she spotted Ron.

"Shirt buttoned wrong, zipper undone, tousled hair, red lips, and a billion little hickies and one BIG FAT ONE! You look as if you've just come out of a brothel! Stay away from me!" she calmly told him as she silently tried to force her tears away. Ron shrugged and came closer,

"Do I really look so bad?" he asked nonchalantly, dropping gracelessly down onto the bench. Hermione whirled to face him,

'_No! You look wonderful! You always have! I love you!' _she wanted to scream, but she simply answered,

"Yes, you look terrible. Go away." Her battle with tears was almost won. Ron persisted,

"Hermione, why're you always so uptight about me and girls! I mean, I'm sure you've snogged quite a few guys yourself! Why get on my back about snogging a few girls," he said through a mouthful of chicken. Hermione's tears threatened once more,

"_A FEW GIRLS? _Ron, you've made out with half the school by now! You can't go around looking like you've just had a round of fast sex with a girl you've known for five minutes!" she cried, Ron shrugged,

"And what if I have?" he asked. Hermione went very quiet and very pale.

"What?" she said,

"Jeez Hermione I know you're a prude but you have to know what boy and girls do when left alone. It's not just kissing on the cheek and saying 'I love you' three billion times." He said sarcastically. Hermione blinked, she had understood as far as the fact that Ron had been having random sex with random people.

Random people who were not her.

Why was he being so mean? Why was he telling her all of it? She swallowed rapidly but found that it wasn't helping stop her tears from coming. A single hot drop spilled over. She watched it get absorbed by the fabric of her skirt.

"Anyway you shouldn't care much 'Mione, it's not as if you yourself haven't been getting snogged lately," Ron was speaking again,

'_He really should stop…he makes things worse when he speaks' _Hermione thought hazily,

"What are you talking about Ronald?" she said faintly, Ron snorted and laughed,

"Don't pretend as if you haven't been secretly going out with _Harry _behind my back." Hermione froze and, if possible, became even paler,

"I don't understand…" she said, her voice unnaturally sharp. Ron snorted again,

"Come on 'Mione, it might have taken me longer to figure out than the rest of us. You don't have to lie. It's alright if you like Harry, you guys were made for each other. Him and his big famous self and you and your big smart head! It's a match made in Hea…"

Ron never finished his sentence. Hermione had slapped him hard before that.

"Hermione! What the bleeding hell was that for!" he said, cradling his throbbing cheek and noticing, embarrassed, the stares they had drawn.

"You stupid insensitive low life PIG!" Hermione half cried half laughed, tears streaming steadily down her face. Ron was shocked, how had he made her cry?

"I'm not going out with Harry! I don't even like him like that!" she was laughing but he could see that she was very hurt by something,

"It's not is it? Then what's all this business about you going on?" he said a little nastily, not ready to believe that he was in the wrong. Hermione sneered through her tears,

"Oh I'm the real idiot here actually, for ever thinking that you of all people would finally get it without my having to tell you!"

"GET WHAT HERMIONE!" he yelled, getting fed up. She looked at him, disgusted and, now he saw it, heartbroken,

"It wasn't **HARRY **I liked! It was **YOU**" and with that she ran out of the Great Hall.

Ron finally realized what those three emotions had been.

Jealousy, Love, and Guilt.

He had made Hermione angry enough to shout in front of people.

He had made her cry _and _he had insulted her and Harry who she was very protective of.

He groaned and exited the Hall as well.

"I am so dead…" he murmured.

* * *

"'Cissa, we shouldn't be doing this, blood pact or not!"

"You're a fool if you think I'll back out now, after so long,"

"But what if the Dark Lord finds out! We will all die!"

"Is it not better to die doing something worthy of the Black name than to die groveling at the feet of a half blood madman?"

"But we are sure to be caught!"

"Better to die defying the filthy blooded scum than to die kissing his hems, I have already said this many times Bella, we will go on."

"He is bound to discover Lucius's trick!"

"Let him discover it, my husband will laugh all the more when he dies,"

"He will kill Draco if he captures him…"

"That, my dear sister, will never happen."

"This is madness!"

"Insanity is said to run in most old pureblooded lines, it is the product of all our inbreeding I suppose."

"I suppose that we must finish what we began,"

"Do not worry Bella, we will not have to take part in the fighting, leave that to the men. You and I will gather all the information we can without alerting that half blooded scum to our plan. You _do _remember mother's last words don't you?"

"We have been tricked! Fooled by a lowlife half blood! We of the Black family must take our revenge…yes I remember."

"Good, I see your memory is sharp as ever. We must go and find Severus now, the next part of our plan begins tonight."

* * *

He hadn't been in any of his classes that afternoon, but he wasn't paying too much attention to that. What he really wanted at the moment was to talk to Potter.

He had never thought that he would want anything of the sort but he did now and it was making him very fidgety. He sat next to Blaise who sat across from Pansy, watching them play chess with each other. Outwardly he appeared to be paying attention, but his focus was on a single raven haired Gryffindor.

He had been kissed thoroughly by Harry Potter and afterwards Harry had run away after apologizing. They hadn't seen each other or spoken to each other since. Draco did not want the situation to escalate into an embarrassing period of awkward looks and silences. He needed to see Potter _now_.

"Ah, Mr. Zabini, terrible at chess as always, Ms. Parkinson, Mr. Malfoy, good evening," Snape had swept into the room looking quite a bit more strained than he had been all week. Draco noted his pallid skin and red eyes silently and vowed to ask him about it at a later time.

Blaise smirked,

"Well professor, I like to spend my time doing more…interesting things than playing chess." He said, leering at a seventh year who had just strolled by. Snape scowled and fixed Blaise with a long hard look, had Draco paid closer attention he would have noticed the strange energy that seemed to pass between them; or he would have noticed the way Blaise's eyes lost focus for a minute as Snape looked at him. But Draco had once again become caught up in his problems and had not noticed it.

Pansy, however, did.

* * *

After scrawling "I hate Ronald Weasley" five hundred and forty six times on a six foot long parchment and burning it slowly Hermione felt slightly better. After the terrible experience she had had in the Great Hall at dinner she wasn't so sure that she could force herself to be normal once again.

Her heart, virginal and pure, had been cracked severely and she suspected that it might be broken. Her love for Ron, stupid git, had not wavered and that made her angry,

'_I really must love the bloke to stick with him after **that** mess…' _she thought gloomily. But of course she was in love with him, she wanted to have her precious first kiss with him, wanted to give him her virginity, wanted to marry him someday and have hundreds of his annoying redheaded babies.

"Darn it!" she murmured and sniffed as tears began to fall.

'_What a jerk! I go and confess my feelings for him in front of everyone and he hasn't even come by yet!' _she thought. But she wasn't angry, she was heartbroken and in desperate need of ice cream. She hoisted herself out of bed and made a decision to go on a late night emergency carbohydrate binge.

"To the kitchen!" she whispered jokingly to herself and opened the door. She stepped down into the common room and felt her foot hit something softer than a step; it was a full ten seconds later when she realized that she was standing on something that was most definitely _not _a step. It groaned loudly in a way only one Gryffindor could,

"Ron?" she whispered in disbelief. The redhead looked up at her and immediately looked down, redder than his hair, it was then that Hermione remembered that she wore her "special birthday lingerie" a short silk slip with lace trimming and a tasteful amount of ribbon. She blushed and wrapped her robe tighter around her,

"Wh-what are you doing sleeping out here? You'll get a cold!" she scolded gently; Ron smiled sheepishly at her and stood up.

"Er…actually I was going to wait here until morning…just to wait for you. Hermione…we have to talk about…" Ron looked uncomfortable suddenly,

"Well we can't speak here…c-come with me…we'll settle this mess." Hermione's voice had taken on the sharp "McGonagall" tone she used when on prefect duty; Ron flinched but rose to follow her.

As the portrait closed behind them Harry stepped out from the stairs leading to the boys' dorms and smiled half happy and half exasperated.

"It looks like the Gryffindor Trio is soon to become the Gryffindor Onesome…" he murmured suddenly struck by sadness. He shook it off and exited the tower; he could do with a walk of his own.

* * *

"ACHOO!" Draco shivered and tugged his robe tighter around his body. He walked alone around the lake (which seemed to be his new nighttime hangout) because he was unable to sleep. For weeks he had managed to sleep on his own, in his own bed without pining for the warmth and scent of Harry but with mating season so close, his body and mind would not let him sleep so easily.

"Dammit…" Draco mumbled, not only was sleeping becoming a problem but the pull he had been feeling all year for his mate, which had been faint when he had not known who said person was, had become strong and almost irresistible whenever he was near Harry. His life was quickly becoming a series of potentially embarrassing moments and he didn't like it at all. He shivered again and rubbed his arms,

"Chilly?" a familiar voice made him shiver again though not from the cold. He turned around and looked up into Harry's green eyes,

"Why are you always following me Potter?" Draco said. It was the first time they had talked since The Kiss earlier that day and he figured that he should try to act normal. Harry fell into step beside him,

"So…what have you been up to since…er…that?" he said and somehow Draco knew he was blushing.

"I've been er…around…sleeping mostly. It was a shock you know…it's not every day I'm kissed randomly by boys." Draco heard Harry's sharp intake of breath and stopped walking, Harry stopped as well.

"Listen Mal-Draco about that kiss…I'm sor..." but Draco held up a finger and Harry stopped;

"Listen _Harry _you've apologized several times already but you haven't specified what it is you're sorry for. Are you sorry you kissed me? Are you sorry that you didn't ask me first? What is it that you keep apologizing about?"

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair,

"I won't say I'm sorry for kissing you because I _definitely _am not. I guess I'll say I'm sorry for not asking you first…it didn't seem very gentlemanly of me to just kiss you like that. The thing is that you're also a man and I can't say that I 'took advantage of you' without making it sound as if you were a woman and most guys have problems with that. What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry I emasculated you"

Draco had felt his heartbeat quicken when Harry had said that he didn't regret kissing him.

"Good then," he said and continued walking,

"I enjoyed kissing you as well." Behind him he heard Harry splutter and run to catch up.

"Wh-what?" the Gryffindor stuttered, Draco turned and a smirk slid onto his lips,

"You heard what I said _Potter_" he called, enjoying the confused look on Harry's face. He turned to walk away again but Harry caught his arm and whirled him around. Suddenly his expression was far from confused and the look in his eyes made Draco blush,

"Er…Potter, what're you doing?" he whispered, noting how close their faces were. Harry smiled and his eyes flicked to Draco's mouth,

"I think…" he said, taking Draco's chin in his hands,

"I want another one."

This time the kiss was less immediate, it was slower and softer. But it was no less intense. Draco responded almost immediately, his hands slid up and over Harry's shoulders and gripped the fabric of his shirt. Curiously, it was Harry who felt slightly awkward this time around. His hands felt strange wherever he put them, as if they were not meant to rest wherever he placed them. His body was reacting violently to Draco's small one pressed against it and he was sure Draco would feel it soon. Finally he rested his hands on the sides of Draco's face. Cautiously he probed Draco's lips with his tongue and felt relief and desire swamp him when Draco opened his mouth.

"_Harry…_" Draco panted, his hands slid to tangle in Harry's hair and Harry bent down to take his lips in a kiss again. Finally his hands seemed to feel right elsewhere on Draco's body, he rested them at the small of Draco's back, pressing him slightly closer. Draco rose on his toes and pressed hot kisses to the hollow in Harry's neck; he bit down hard onto the flesh there and Harry cried out.

"Draco…you're going to have to stop that…you're giving me a…er problem" he stuttered, Draco blushed bright red and stopped nibbling at Harry's skin. The Golden Boy enveloped him in an intimate hug,

Draco, out of his lusty frenzy, blushed bright red. It was a common Hogwarts rumor that Draco Malfoy was a big pervert. One could always hear him fire off an innuendo with as much grace as any practiced comedian. But when it came to real life Draco had always been a virgin in every way. Blaise and Pansy often teased him about not having been kissed or about the fact that be hadn't been "deflowered" yet. But Draco had never felt any attraction for anyone, or even (and he'd never admit this to a soul) loved anyone enough to give them his virginity. He now knew that his Veelic instincts had not allowed him to feel anything for anyone else than Harry, that they made him want to give Harry his precious virginity. Draco's eyes widened as a thought suddenly hit him, did Harry know that he was Draco's mate? He seemed to have been very keen on discovering Draco's secret for a long time, why hadn't he figured it out yet?

"Harry…you know that I'm a Veela right?" Draco said hesitantly, Harry smirked down at him,

"Yes, I know that…" he said, a suspicious look in his eyes. Draco sighed,

"And you know about my…er mate, right?" Harry suddenly snapped to attention. The thing that had been bugging him in the back of his mind before suddenly hit him full force. The realization was both painful and joyful,

"And that mate is…" Harry trailed off and looked into Draco's eyes,

"Yes…you." Draco finished for him. Harry pulled away from Draco and stared up at the stars, blinking rapidly to ward off tears,

"So is that why you let me kiss you?" he asked slightly bitterly, Draco blanched and grabbed one of Harry's hands with his own two.

"No! That isn't why I let you kiss me! I did it because I l…" he stopped himself before he said the "L" word and Harry turned around to look at him.

"Are you sure Draco? That you're not doing this because you have to? Because there are other ways around this…" he said gently, Draco looked up into his eyes and suddenly he knew that, whatever he did, there was no going back.

"No," he said, and hugged Harry tightly,

"I'm doing this because I want to…" he breathed in deeply, inhaling Harry's heavenly smell,

'_Someday…will I regret this?' _he thought, squeezing Harry tighter.

A voice in his mind that rang with certainty gave him his answer,

"_No" _

Lily: OOOH MYYY GOOOOSH! 13 pages! My behind hurts!

It's taken me days to write this and hours today while I could have been watching "Loveless" (Loveless is really REALLY good anime….all lovely shounen-ai and that goodness). I might seem like I'm just ranting in this chapter, I assure you, I am not. I can't keep this "kiss" conflict going, it'll interfere with my plans. As for "Bella" and "Cissa" I'm sure that you know who they are. Haahahahhahaha, the plot has thickened considerably for those of you who didn't notice (not many I hope). Anyways, Ron and Hermione will get sorted out immediately since I dislike running problems like this; it interferes with the rest of the plot. You should know by now that there is a conspiracy going on amongst our purebred dark wizarding families and good old uncle Voldie is not in the loop. I hope you all understood about PHs, neways, I'm beat.

Lates

Review plz


	14. It Has Begun

**Lily**: ai-yah, so I'm back. Some things to explain! My beta has started school and has homework; it has called my attention to the fact that I too soon shall have homework and thus less time to write. Yes I know, sad sad business, but in any case, I think I'll try to write more so I can get in as muuuch as possible before the school year begins in about two weeks. SO! The reviews!

**Minagorishi**: he is kind of a moron a lot of the time in the books. Sorry if he seems retarded.

**Heerosevilbitchyvampyress**: ha! I just noticed that! 13 pages 13 chapters…wooooow

**Mimifoxlove**:

1: thankyou very much

2: yes, females are often quite insane when it comes to romance. I thought she was being un-Hermione-ish but hormones and emotions often get the better of people.

3: hahahaha biting. People do it just regularly, the biting part; I don't mean the brutal "get off me you pervert" bite though, like a love bite.

4: that, m'dear, remains to be seen

**Danish Pastry 28**: aaah you have pretty nice deductive skills! Cissa and Bella will probably be revealed in this chapter. Read on!

**Dark Angel of Fire Ice**: A-RI-GA-TO Gozaimasu!

**Rlmess**: I never did like it when they never had a say in it, that whole love business. I think I wanted Draco to fall in love on his own and he did, albeit unknowingly.

**Makalani Astral**: yes, she is, I take it you are one who knows Cissa and Bella (the sisters!)

**Kari Morgana Black**: thanks. I have actually never experienced a kiss so I'm going on what I think it'd be like…between Harry and Draco of course since a kiss would be different depending on the people. I didn't think it'd come out well since I'm inexperienced with that kind of thing.

**PrEtTyStUpIdGiRl**: hahaha Sukisho! I love sukisho! Nao-kun and Sora-kun are sooo cute! I love nii-san and the health teacher! Loveless is so deep! I'm gonna watch all of it! Are you on aarinfantasy? That's where I got sukisho and loveless.

**Anime-san**: aaah sugar highs, I miss them.

**Bananagirl**: lol, I was going to make a really big problem between them but I figured that solving it right away would be better for the progression of the plotline. Drawing out romantic problems turns out pretty badly a lot.

To everyone I didn't get, I lurv you all, thanks for reviewing!

Please Enjoy

* * *

Blaise couldn't believe his luck. Twice in a day he had done as his master bid him. Twice it had been a success. Draco had left his bed late at night and Blaise had grumbled at losing yet another night's sleep for he was ordered to follow Malfoy. Blaise had believed that it would turn out to be yet another unproductive nighttime walk, but he had been wrong. An opportunity had presented itself in the form of Harry Potter, wandering aimlessly around the castle. 

Blaise had leapt at the chance. Potter was easily coerced into changing his route to take a walk around the lake. All Blaise had to do was drop a hint about Snape patrolling in the direction Potter was headed and then subtly mention seeing Draco head towards the lake and Potter was reeled in.

Blaise smirked, and now they were outside together, being disgusting and romantic with each other. His master would be pleased. He brought out the mirror and whispered the spell

"_Morsmordre" _and so his report began.

* * *

Ron was feeling very uncomfortable, he wasn't one to hide it well either. He fidgeted and glanced around as Hermione made herself some tea. They sat in the kitchens together, no one else was present aside from themselves. It was completely silent and completely awkward.

Hermione, Ron had noted while they walked there, was considerably calmer than she had been earlier that evening. He was glad to see that, partly because he didn't like seeing her hurt, and partially because tears, especially female ones, made him nervous.

Hermione sat down across from him on a stool and went about stirring her tea. This took all of one minute, and when she had taken a sip and set down her cup, Ron knew that it was time. She fixed him with her sternest look, her chin set in determination, her hands folded neatly on the table between them,

"Ronald," she said her voice crisp, he flinched.

"You and I have a problem…I am in love with you and you are a guy whose promiscuity is almost legendary. Now, we're also part of a threesome, you, me, and Harry, if we weren't then this would have been easier. We can't just stop talking to each other and we can't make it awkward for Harry so we'll have to come up with something." Ron wasn't always as stupid as people took him to be. He didn't know much knowledge-wise but he _did _know a lot about girls and if there was one girl he knew a lot about, it was Hermione Granger. He knew that she didn't like to cry profusely like other girls, he knew that being the best friend of two boys had made her tougher than most girls; he also knew that, at the moment, she really wanted to cry but wouldn't. And so Ronald Weasley, not wanting to prolong the strange and awkward one-sided conversation they were currently having, did something good for the first time in hours.

"Hermione…do me a favor and shut up," he said, the bushy haired girl abruptly stopped her tirade and glared hard at him, he saw her open her mouth to speak but held up a hand.

"You've been talking like we're in the military and you're trying to come up with a strategy to beat the enemy. We're not 'Mione and it's only making it worse by having this weird conversation. You and I seem to have had a misunderstanding," here Hermione snorted and Ron decided to forego his predictability and ignore it,

"I thought that you and Harry were, er, going out. And it was a completely valid claim 'Mione so don't give me that look! I admit that I was acting like an arse…"

"A really big arse…" Hermione muttered and Ron was momentarily shocked by her uncharacteristic immaturity, she seemed to notice his shock and blushed,

"Sorry, that was uncalled for, go on, I'm listening" Ron rolled his eyes,

"Well, I realized after I thought that you and Harry were going out, that I was er…well jealous," embarrassed for Ron was an understatement at this point but he plowed on.

"I thought that everyone had known besides me, and also I realized that all this time with other girls, I've been pretty bored ya know? I finally figured out that the girl I'd been searching for in all those other girls had been with me all this time." Ron was redder than his own flaming red hair at this point but Hermione's own blush could have rivaled his. She looked down at her hands clenched in her lap and Ron seemed to be very interested in the clock on the wall to his right.

"So…that was it?" Hermione suddenly said, Ron looked startled but he nodded. Hermione nodded,

"Well then, there was no need for all those silly tears and shouting, was there? Ron, we're such idiots!" she looked slightly teary again but she wasn't collapsing in a sobbing heap like Ron had seen many girls do, and that was a relief. But he was confused, what was she talking about?

"Er…'Mione, excuse me for being dim but, what're you talking about?" Hermione sighed and suddenly stood from her stool, marched up to him, and kissed him straight on the mouth. Ron, whose mouth would have hung wide open had it not been for Hermione kissing him, was completely pole-axed. Hermione stepped back and hugged him, he heard her sniff a little,

"You fool!" she cried,

"Everyone _did _know _something_. Something that not even I caught onto!" Ron succeeded in getting more confused; she pulled back and looked up into his eyes,

"It wasn't that Harry has loved me all this time! It was that _you _have loved me all this time and I have loved you and Everybody knew but us!"

Ron thought back to previous years, people encouraging him to get involved with girls, people winking at him, people making suggestive comments and glances, it had all had to do with himself and…

He groaned, Hermione smiled and turned to go.

"Where're you going 'Mione?" Ron said from his face-down position on the table, she looked back, confused,

"To bed. It's late." She said simply, Ron looked at her in exasperation,

"'Mione! You don't just discover that you have mutual love with someone and then walk off to bed as if you've been reading the bloody evening paper! I love you Hermione Granger now please come over here and kiss me," he stated. Hermione laughed and walked over to him,

"That was a strategically worded request," she said, raising an eyebrow. Ron paused in the middle of leaning in to kiss her and smirked,

"I'm not good at chess for nothing," he said.

Hermione would have laughed but her mouth was otherwise occupied and would be for a very long time.

* * *

Severus Snape couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Everything was moving so smoothly for him and his cohorts that it was almost too good to be true. He knew that their success was due to months of planning and caution.

"So, they've broken the first Seal?" Snape snapped out of his reverie and nodded an affirmative, across from him, Lucius Malfoy smirked, his one eye narrowing.

"Children these days move so quickly…" he said sarcastically, Snape laughed darkly,

"They are hardly children Lucius; the Potter boy is at least twice as old as you and I in that 16 year old body." Lucius nodded solemnly.

"My wife and sister-in-law, have they begun their part?" he asked, Snape stiffened at the mention, though not by name, of Bellatrix Lestrange,

"The Lestrange woman had to be…persuaded not to reveal everything and destroy our plans" he said sneering, Lucius scowled,

"That woman is an embarrassment to the Black family," he muttered disgustedly. Snape smirked,

"So many Blacks have besmirched the family name, Mistress Black would have all their heads if she were alive," he said. Lucius shrugged,

"Such matters are of no concern to me Severus. Now we need to begin the next stage. It is three weeks until Draco becomes fertile to the point of near guaranteed pregnancy yes?" Snape nodded and Lucius nodded,

"We have three weeks to bring them together enough so that they bond. Love is known to act strangely, I know for a fact that my son is already in love with Potter though he will never admit to it. We must move quickly, we already wasted so much time in the beginning; Severus, you must do anything to bring them together, we don't have any time to waste!"

His urgency was shown in the slight raising of his voice. Severus nodded,

"Together their power will increase; it is only through the last Seal that this can happen," Lucius looked sad for a minute,

"I do not like giving my son away to a boy who I do not even know, but this is something we absolutely must do so that we are finally in accordance with the blood pact we made so long ago."

Severus sighed and turned away from the older man,

"I must go now; I have one last place to go before I return to Hogwarts." He said, Lucius nodded and Snape disapparated.

* * *

They had been standing there in the mild chill of late night for what seemed like hours. Harry held Draco in his arms and neither said a word. It wasn't an affectionate embrace neither was it one that held much romance in it, it was purely for warmth as it had gotten quite chilly.

Both of them needed time to sort out their thoughts and emotions, the passionately spoken words they had said to each other and the bold kisses of just under an hour previous seemed to be in the distant past now and neither Harry nor Draco spared much thought to it at the moment.

"You know Potter," Draco said suddenly, Harry looked down at him,

"You know I won't say anything disgusting like 'I love you' or 'I like you' because I'm gong to tell you truthfully that I don't"

In his mind, Draco knew he was lying he was already in love with Harry Potter, but he refused to allow that vulnerability to show. Harry smirked down at him,

"Did you think that I would be the one spouting ridiculous love claims Draco?" he asked though his voice held no malice,

"You and I are fated to bond and mate with each other, eventually I will take you and perhaps in the future you will bear our children. Right now we don't even qualify as friends, I can't truthfully say that I love you either but I do like you." Draco fought off the blush that threatened to overtake his fair face once again at Harry's words, the dark haired teen lightly grasped Draco's chin in his hand and tilted his head up so that they stared into each other's eyes.

"You and I are not friends and we are not lovers, we're mates and that sets us apart from everything else. I can tell you that I like you a million times but it means nothing because, no matter how I feel and no matter how you feel, we've already begun the process and we can't make it stop. But I don't believe that you and I were fated to be in an unloving relationship, there are things about you that I have come to like and I am sure that in time you'll find things about me to like. I like you Draco; I like you more than I ever thought I could like a person simply at the first stage of anything, this relationship we've been put into was our own doing. That's all I need to say, that it was not the Veela situation that made me choose you or you choose me, just so we have no doubts in the future."

"As long as we both understand what's going on here," Draco said, untangling himself from Harry's arms,

"I think I need some time to sort myself out and decide what I want to do with this…" Harry nodded in understanding and took Draco's hand.

"Think all you need Draco and find me when you're done. After all, we're in this together now," he said and leaned down to kiss him lightly and carefully before letting go.

"I'll see you at breakfast Po—er Harry," Draco said wrapping his arms around himself and turning to walk away.

A slightly heavy warmth enveloped him and he brought his arms up to feel a cloak on his shoulders. He turned to a smirking Harry with a question in his eyes,

"Well, it **is **chilly out here Draco. Good night," he said and turned and walked away.

Draco watched him go scowling and clutching tightly to the cloak that carried his scent.

* * *

"Ah Bella, how are you tonight?" she'd never liked that man's voice, it was always so oily, like a treacherous snake sliding around her, coiling tighter with every word. Bellatrix scowled at him and spat at his feet,

"I was better until you showed your ugly face!" she snarled, glaring hatefully up at the man, he only laughed at her.

"I am very sure that you were as it was I who put you here looking like that. But if it is any consolation, your face is much more endearing covered in blood," Bellatrix growled,

"It isn't," the man only laughed more, further angering Bellatrix. He sneered at her,

"I've brought you some nice soothing water to ease that dry throat of yours, if you beg prettily I will give it to you," he was smiling cruelly at her and Bellatrix's temper finally broke,

"You! Filthy blood traitor! Disgusting half blooded whelp of a useless bitch! The Dark Lord will find you and kill you and I will watch and laugh as you die!" she screamed, straining against her bonds. She had expected him to become angered but his cold eyes only grew colder, crueler, he crouched down to her level and locked eyes with her and suddenly she knew with certainty that he would kill her if ever given the chance,

"I may be a blood traitor and a whelp but I will never be the disgusting groveling scum that you are! Bowing your head to a deranged Half Blood as if he were your god! You're pathetic! My mother was of far nobler blood than you can even imagine, I could cover my body in scum and roll in decomposed corpses and not be as filthy as you!" he said calmly. She snarled at him, screaming and fighting against her bonds. He rose and looked disgustedly down at her,

"Pathetic woman" he spat,

"I don't think there is any soap or spell existing that can clean you." With these last words he turned sharply on his heel and walked away. Bellatrix was left in darkness once more.

* * *

The morning brought more than sunlight to seven specific people in Hogwarts. To Hermione it brought back the reminder of a test she had that day and, belatedly, the reminder that she was now Ronald Weasley's girlfriend.

To Ron it brought a confusing mess of memories of the previous night's activities and a fervent hope that it had not all been a dream. Also, sadly enough, a feeling of nostalgia for his days of bachelordom (though he had yet to pass a day as a taken man). He resolved to dress extra carefully that day in order to look nice for his first day as Hermione Granger's boyfriend.

For Professor Snape it brought a rush of bile as he remembered the turmoil one Bellatrix Lestrange's misplaced loyalties had _almost _caused in their plans. The man carefully drank down a shot of scotch and took a potion to calm his nerves knowing that it would be hours before he could return to bed and rest and absolutely despising it.

For Professor Albus Dumbledore, a man whose meddling had caused many a problem and also solved many a problem, it brought several revelations. Through unknown means the aged wizard had always discovered everything that went on in his school. He knew of Snape's plotting, he knew of Blaise's handiwork, he knew of Harry and Draco, and even Ron and Hermione. But there were several holes in his picture, parts that his sources could not fill in. He had silently watched all the activity and had been piecing everything together; it was just that morning that everything fit.

To Blaise Zabini, who awoke in different clothes than he remembered putting on the previous night, it brought more confusion and the first seeds of fear. Even in the wizarding world symptoms like the ones he'd been having were not normal and usually a sign of dangerous magic.

Harry awoke with a grim feeling. Over the night he had thought about his life and Draco's life. He had thought of Voldemort. He had remembered that he had been born practically with one foot in the grave, he was a marked man and being bonded to Draco would only put yet another person in danger. He thought that perhaps Draco had come to realize the same thing and that something must be done. Harry realized that he liked Draco more than he had ever imagined he could when he first decided to kiss him. He remembered Hermione's words:

"_Harry, if you want my advice, which I'm sure you don't but will be grateful for later anyway, I'd say that you need to be straightforward. No subtlety and no dawdling, just march up to him in an abandoned hallway and kiss him before he can realize what's happening. Do that and this all-consuming fascination with what he tastes like might be sated. But then again…You might just lust for more."_

He sighed and lay back on his bed,

'_Typical Hermione' _he thought,

'_Always right'_

Draco had slept the night curled up with Harry's cloak, inhaling the scent that seemed ingrained into the thread. He had dreamt of being held carefully and lovingly by Harry saying nothing and doing nothing but lying in each other's embrace. It had been rather upsetting to let the dream go and wake up. After Harry had left the previous night, Draco had done a lot of thinking. He too had gone over Harry's Voldemort situation, he knew that Harry had a very big hero complex and would be averse to bonding with him because of the danger. This was not something Draco wanted to happen. Despite the fact that he had told Harry otherwise, Draco was completely and irreversibly in love with the boy-who-lived and bonding completely with him was his greatest wish.

But Draco also reflected that Harry was not the only one who was brought up at danger's bosom. Draco too had endured terrors unknown to most children in the wizarding world. His father's involvement with the Dark Lord, his mother's family insanity, his being a Veela; Draco shuddered, yes, his past was riddled with deeds of the darkest origin but that wouldn't stop him from having what he wanted.

Draco had ideas about himself and Harry, but they were never idealistic fairy tale romances, quixotic ideas and fantastic dreams of a peaceful union between himself and Harry were for story books. Draco was too realistic to hold any hope that they would come together easily. But he did know that he would be rewarded for his nisus.

Draco Malfoy was no fool, though he was in love; he knew that morning as surely as he knew the sun rose outside the castle walls that something very difficult laid before him and that something very big was starting around him, perhaps had already begun:

"_The surface of the lake is serene tonight Draco, but don't make the mistake of thinking it'll stay that way forever. Something is amiss in the Wizarding World and your father is a part of it"_

Draco knew now what Harry had meant. It was beginning; the Final Battle had already been set in motion.

**Lily**: boring chapter, badly written, sorry. I had to remove some things cluttering the way. Yes, I promise next chapter won't suck so bad. Well, I hope Harry cleared up the reason they got together with Draco. I hope nobody missed it either. He was saying that he liked him and that's why they're starting the bonding. Er, more on that later. Ron and Hermione, I dunno, they felt pretty natural to me, I just set my hands on the keyboard and their conversation came out. I wonder though, I thought it was stale; prolly cuz Hermione was nervous, heartbroken, and angry. I don't think she'd handle falling in love with Ron and confessing to it very well, I didn't want her to. Esp. after reading the newest HP novel, Ron and Hermione really are complete idiots when it comes to love. Kanojo wa baka desu! Kare wa baka desu! Otoko no ai wa chiisana desu (I'm not even sure if chiisana is the correct adjective form). Onna no ai wa sugoi desu! Mattaku!

Anyways, enough weird languages, I'll make the next chapter longer…and less crappy. I mean A LOT less crappy. I now y'all've been waiting for a bit and I'm sorry that this is all I came up with.

So now we wonder, why is Blaise under someone's control? Who is controlling Blaise? Who will save our ailing Snape? Will Hiathos appear again? What are these seals? Where is Voldemort hiding? Why hasn't Dumbledore stepped in? Why is the authoress so crazy?

Doko? Nani? Honto? USO!

Exclamations of shock and questioning. Observe the next chapter with a mind as clear as glass and as open as the sky

Kyou kara maou now!

Matta-o!

Review plz


	15. A Problem

Lily: 1 DAY LEFT!

**PrEtTyStUpIdGiRl**: it was a really good series

**Mimifoxlove**: Konnichiwa!

1: bows sankyuu bery mush. I'm trying to see if there are any flies in this plot type ointment yet

2: Bellatrix Lestrange a good guy? Aaah that, well, there are still things left unsaid that probably should be said soon.

3: thanks very much. I thought it felt natural to me, so I just went with whatever came out

4: yeah, that'll all be explained away

**checkmarks**: your feeling is quite correct

**DracoDormiens7**: I want it too T-T and so I will build up good tension and when they finally do have sex, it'll be very very gratifying.

**LadyDragonWolfKnight**: sorry about that. It was Snape speaking to her; he really hates her, even in the "reality" of the series.

**Jujube 15**: teenaged boys and love somehow don't mix. It's like boys are computers and love is some sort of incompatible program that comes up as jumbled and chaotic mush on them.

**Kari Morgana Black**: I wanted to ask my friends who have been kissed, but then all sorts of weird questions would be asked and I would be a rather embarrassed duck. Call me immature, but being kissed to me looks kinda…bleh. All the saliva….going nowhere but another person's mouth, maybe it'll feel nice when I finally try it out.

**Feltonxmalfoy**: I'm glad that you understand the reason behind my super long process. I think that their personalities wouldn't let them rush off spontaneously and sleep with each other. And Harry does have a hero complex, his conscience wouldn't let him bond fully with Draco under regular circumstances.

**Firefairy42**: I am glad that you like the fic, I'm sorry if I sound overly modest but I really did feel that last chapter was not well written. And when I write something badly I feel badly about it, I think I forced it too much and when I do that it comes out wonky. I try not to put myself down since it isn't graceful but I really felt that last chapter wasn't written as well as I wanted it to be.

**Amarindian gal**: Thanks very much! I don't have any fics yet for you since I have not had time to read any. I'm glad that you too like the way I'm taking things slowly. I was really afraid that people wouldn't like a slowly progressing romance since what I've managed to skim involves quick realization, quick copulation, and quick and simple resolution. I didn't want that for this fic.

**Minagorishi**: Atashi wa kawaii desu? Atashi wa…anata no koibito desu? Hahaha I kid I kid. My nihongo is veeeery basic. T-T kukukukuku, basic "to be" sentence structure pretty much. Anata no nihongo wa joozu desu! Atashi no nihongo wa joozu ja nai. I'm learning though. The easy part is grammar, the hard part is all the naffing kata (throws up hands and asks why they couldn't have a simple kata system) ai-yah. So anyways, I hope you enjoy this chappie! Itadakimasu!

**Danish Pastry 28**: I'm sorry about the length, I though the ending was nice and I'm the type of person who dies for well ended chapters. I'm glad you liked the chapter though, I thought it was quite toned down. Action comes later I guess, Ron and Hermione would have been annoying if I didn't glue them back together, them having the tendency to argue like they do.

**Mars explorer**: I wasn't going to. Killing everyone around Harry would make him very angsty and give him more emotional baggage that would be harder to get through by Draco. He has enough as it is, I don't plan on killing anyone unless it's absolutely necessary (leers at a cowering Hiathos)

**Olupotter**: my head hurt thinking it up. I sat there for ages going "I wonder how this would turn out" actually, originally this plot was going to be like, a billion times simpler. But then someone had a review saying like "Voldemort is using Draco to get to Harry" and I thought, "Why would I do something so simple like that? I mean it's so obvious! What was I thinking?" so I sat down again and completely remodeled the plotline based on what I already had. Hence Lucius's conspiracy and the blood promise.

The authoress feels a fire stirring in her veins, like a tongue after quickly eating two bowls of super spicy special edition yakisoba! Chewing carefully on the meat of the stew as the noodles and soup are swallowed, does the taste remain or is it a weak cheap version of proper soba? What will happen next? Will the secret of the Black sisters ever be revealed to the public? How far will the two lovers go in this chapter? Why is the authoress so Nihon-crazy? And most of all, will this commentary ever make sense?

It awaits to be seen

Please enjoy

* * *

_Bellatrix Black sat silently on the couch. It was a stiff ornate thing meant more for the eyes than the bottom, Bellatrix could attest to that fact with the slow ache that was spreading through her lower back. But there was nothing to be done about it, the couch was in the Raven sitting room in Black manor, and currently most of the Black family seemed to be gathered there. Of course there was a reason for such a gathering, and especially in the Raven sitting room, a place they used to gather in when a family member had died. _

_It had been quite sudden really. Bellatrix remembered trying to steal Narcissa's new handbag when suddenly a house elf screamed and everything after that had been a rush of preparation. Now all of her relatives where in the Raven sitting room, waiting for the woman to die; if anyone found it odd that none of them were crying then nobody said anything. _

_Bellatrix couldn't quite find it in herself to be sad for her passing even if it was her own mother that was dying. Sonora Black, wife of the great Nigellus Black lay dying slowly in her chamber. _

"_Bella, why do you think mother is dying?" Bellatrix looked at her sister Andromeda and scowled. The stupid twat seemed to be trying very hard to hold back tears, and why not? She was the only one their mother had taken any care of. Bellatrix supposed that that was why Andromeda had always been the weak one. Despite being the eldest, she submitted her will to Narcissa who was two years younger than she was._

'_She'll probably grow up and marry some half blood, or worse some Muggle!' she thought disgustedly. Bellatrix was saved from answering her sister's question by Narcissa, the middle daughter, who had just come from socializing._

"_Mother is dying Andromeda, because she found something out that she wasn't supposed to, something that made the Dark Lord curse her," she said airily as if the fact that her mother's misstep with the most powerful dark wizard in their world was nothing but parlor gossip. Andromeda paled instantly at the mention of the Dark Lord and began to look ill, Bellatrix scowled deeper at her before turning her eyes to her elder sister._

_Narcissa Black was eleven, an age where she was slowly growing out of her childhood prettiness and growing into her more adult looks; something that Bellatrix, at the age of seven, despised her for .Narcissa had always been pretty, when she was Bellatrix's age boys two or three years older would pursue her and men much older waited eagerly for her to grow into womanhood and marriageable age. She had gotten the flawless pale skin and large gray eyes of their father and their mother's lustrous blonde hair; she was petite and had a delicate bone structure. Bellatrix had been born with their mother's heavy lidded dark eyes and full mouth that looked slightly ridiculous on her small face, her skin was swarthy like her father's and her hair was dark and heavy like her father's. People said that comparing her to Narcissa was like night and day, an elf to a pixie. Sometimes Bellatrix despised Narcissa, for being beautiful, for being clever, for being perfect. _

_Bellatrix had always thought that, out of the three sisters, she had gotten the worst luck. Narcissa was eye catchingly beautiful, the kind of beauty found in very few women. Bellatrix knew that she herself would one day be beautiful but she would look very awkward for most of her life, she hated that Narcissa never went through an awkward stage of growth. She turned to Andromeda, sitting quietly now to her left and felt her hatred for the girl grow. Andromeda had many of Narcissa's qualities, slightly pointed heart shaped face and pale flawless skin. Her hair was neither black nor blonde but a rich mahogany that made many envious. Andromeda as well was petite and small boned. Sitting in the middle of two beautiful girls such as her sisters, Bellatrix would always look ugly by comparison. She scowled at Narcissa,_

"_What do you mean he cursed her? Isn't she dying of some sort of poisoning?" she asked reluctantly, not wanting to seem uninformed in front of her elder sister. Narcissa smirked at her and gave a quick scan of the room before bending in to whisper to her sisters,_

"_Bella, sometimes you are so dull. Honestly, how could our mother die of such a stupid thing? Who would have poisoned her? The elves? They would all die for it and they know it. She was cursed by the Dark Lord. I heard it from Uncle Phineas." She finished looking smugly in the direction of the tall dark haired man conversing with their father. Bellatrix looked as well to see their uncle Phineas and their father talking quickly and quietly about something. Sitting on another hard couch were their cousins Sirius and Regulus. Sirius looking artfully bored as always and Regulus being a fidgety little snot as always. Bellatrix sneered at them and Sirius sent her a bored look and raised an eyebrow at her. She flushed angrily; he was always so pompous because **his **father was the elder brother thus making **his **family the main Black family heirs. Narcissa smiled prettily at Sirius who smirked back at her, Bellatrix did not understand how they tolerated each other. Sirius was clearly an arse. _

"_I'm tired Cissa," Andromeda whispered sounding tearful. Bellatrix nearly screamed in frustration, she was such a baby! Narcissa turned and gave Andromeda a blank look,_

"_Andromeda…" she said calmly,_

"_You are a Black, and being a Black means never ever disgracing this family name. Remember what Auntie Aurelia did to that House Elf who tripped and spilled sugar all over the floor that time we went to play?" Andromeda paled, apparently she did; Narcissa smiled,_

"_That's what's going to happen to you if you don't preserve the Black family honor only she might do something worse and you know Father won't stop her." Andromeda sat up straight and composed her face. No trace of tears were left in her, her carefully blank expression was an almost mirror image of Narcissa's. Bellatrix's scowl returned. _

_A moan erupted from somewhere upstairs and their father paled, politely he excused himself from his guests and walked quickly up the stairs. Narcissa stood daintily and Andromeda followed, Bellatrix's scowl deepened,_

"_Where are you two going?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at them. Twin looks of incredulity were focused on her and Narcissa sighed as if very pained,_

"_Honestly Bella, have you hit your head recently?" she gave a long suffering sigh and Andromeda smirked at Bellatrix looking almost as condescending as Narcissa could,_

"_Bella dear, our mother is about to die. We're going upstairs to be with Father when it happens," Bellatrix's face colored violently. _

"_You know Bella, on some girls blushing looks very pretty, on you, it doesn't. I suggest you stop," she froze and turned her head to glare hatefully at a smirking Sirius, Narcissa and Andromeda giggled. She growled and stood to her full height noting triumphantly that she was at least an inch taller than Sirius was. But Sirius, being his typical self, didn't seem impressed, all he did was raise an eyebrow at her and give a short laugh,_

"_I suppose the fact that you're about half an inch taller than me is supposed to scare me eh Bella? Don't worry, while you might be built like a man and will probably be very tall, I actually **am **a man and will grow taller soon," he turned to his brother who stood sniveling behind him, he gave a disgusted look and turned to Narcissa looking like a joker once more,_

"_Oh Cissa, you understand my pain," he drawled, rolling his gray eyes. _

"_Siblings who do nothing but cry and act stupid, we both have to deal with them…" he sighed dramatically and Narcissa laughed. Bellatrix stomped a foot,_

"_You big fat arse! I bet you're nothing but a filthy mudblooded mongrel dressed up as one of us and trying to pass yourself off as worthy to be called Black!" she cried, her temper breaking. The room was very quiet all of a sudden. Even the adults seemed to be looking at them, suddenly Narcissa and Andromeda stood beside Sirius and Regulus staring at her in shock. It was then that Bellatrix noted that all four of them had gray eyes. Someone coughed and Bellatrix looked up to see her uncle Phineas looking coldly down at her,_

"_You girls should probably go upstairs" your mother won't last very long now…" he said, never taking his cold glare off Bellatrix. Narcissa glared at Bellatrix as well her face tinged slightly with red. Andromeda's face was slightly flushed as well and she refused to look at Bellatrix. _

"_Come sisters," Narcissa said stiffly, she curtsied and exited, Bellatrix and Andromeda followed suit. _

_Once they had arrived directly outside of their mother's chamber Narcissa whirled to face Bellatrix, anger evident in her gray eyes,_

"_If you ever **dare **to humiliate me or any other of our family like that in public again I will see to it that Aunt Aurelia does to you what she did to that house elf," she hissed. Bellatrix paled and Andromeda smirked,_

"_Well Sister, I suppose Bella's head would look very nice next to all those shriveled ones on the wall, she'll fit right in," Narcissa and Andromeda laughed mockingly and Bellatrix felt her hatred for them increase. _

_Narcissa straightened her skirt and opened the door. Immediately a wave of sound hit them, their parents' room had powerful dampening charms on it. No sound escaped, this was for extra privacy. Their father looked up from the bed, his eyes cold and his expression blank,_

"_Girls, your mother wishes to speak with you," he said. Bellatrix thought that this was the biggest understatement of her life for their mother lay on the bed screaming their names at the top of her lungs. The three sisters curtsied as their father exited the room; they heard him go back to the Raven sitting room. Narcissa approached the bed and peered down at their mother. _

_The curse the Dark Lord had put on her had been a debilitating one. Sonora Black's pale skin was now near translucent and papery, her eyes were sunken and dark circles ringed them. Her lips were chapped and bleeding; her famous blonde hair was thin and brittle. Bellatrix wondered briefly if this is what Narcissa would look like when she died. _

"_Daughters…" Sonora rasped, unseeing eyes rolling in their direction. Narcissa smiled down at her,_

"_Yes mother, we're here," she replied._

"_Andromeda?" Sonora tried reaching out her hand but was too weak, Andromeda hurried to her side and picked the hand up in her own two,_

"_Yes Mother?" Andromeda said. All traces of the cruel girl from outside the room had vanished leaving weepy childish Andromeda once more. Bellatrix rolled her eyes,_

"_Bella?" Sonora rasped her last child's name as more strength left her body. Bellatrix moved forward,_

"_Yes mother?" she answered neutrally. Sonora took a deep breath_

"_My daughters, you must listen to me and listen well for this day is my last upon this earth. The Dark Lord has cursed this body with weakness; I am dying slowly as we speak. I discovered a dark secret my girls, one that was never meant to be uncovered by those faithful to the Dark Lord," _

_Narcissa sent a smug look over to Bellatrix who decided to ignore it, Sonora pressed on._

"_The Dark Lord preaches to us of blood purity, he tells us that only the pure are worthy, let all the filthy half bloods and mudbloods die. Toujours Pur, that is the credo of our Black family, those words are taught first to all our children and we believe it. However, such sacrifices have had to be made for that man. My brother died in his service, my sister is in Azkaban Prison for doing his bidding, these are all things we must endure to reach our goal. But daughters, that man you have known since birth is nothing but a liar and a cheating snake. His blood is as filthy as the blood of those he orders us to kill!" blood was sliding down the side of Sonora's mouth, aside from her rasping breath, all was silent. _

"_Mother, that cannot be true!" Narcissa cried her eyes wide with disbelief. Sonora smiled bitterly,_

"_Ah but it is daughter, it is. And so we must do something daughter, we, the women of the Black family will destroy that disgusting half blood once and for all," Andromeda had tears sliding down her face as she looked at their mother, one fell onto Sonora's pale hand,_

"_Andromeda, crying at such a time is not fit for the eldest daughter of the Black household." She scolded; Andromeda sniffed twice and wiped the tears away. _

"_Yes mother," she said, her voice controlled and neutral once more. _

"_There, that is the daughter I know. My children, I want you to make a promise with me, a promise that you can never break…" her breath was getting short; Narcissa had turned very pale,_

"_A blood promise…" she murmured. Sonora smiled again and had she been able to nod she would have,_

"_Yes my daughter, a blood promise, one that you must fulfill absolutely. You must promise me to use whatever means you can to bring that half blood to his death. Whether it be by your own hands or by your own handiwork, he must die for his treachery," she slowly lifted a hand to her mouth and ran a thumb along the blood she had been coughing up; she presented the bloodied digit to Andromeda who took it in her own. All three sisters looked grim,_

"_Promise me now my daughters, avenge your mother who's life was taken by a filthy half blood!" Sonora cried. Andromeda produced a small pocket knife and slid it along the skin of her thumb so that it bled, she looked at Narcissa who took the knife and repeated the process. Both sisters looked grimly at Bellatrix; the last of the three sisters to release blood. Sonora scowled,_

"_Bellatrix Black! Are you so afraid of the Dark Lord that you won't even avenge your own mother's death?" her voice was as cold as Bellatrix always remembered it to be when she was healthy,_

"_Will you bow to that half blooded mongrel all your life?" it was Narcissa who spoke, disgust evident in her voice. Andromeda looked at her, gray eyes expressing the same thing Narcissa's voice did. Bellatrix glared hatefully at all of them and took the knife, she slid it along her own thumb and stepped forward, Sonora smiled thinly,_

"_Very good. Now, the magical contract has already been stated. You all know what I expect of you…" she coughed up more blood. Andromeda pressed her finger to her mother's, Narcissa joined them and after a glare from Andromeda so did Bellatrix. All of them felt a sudden intense heat at their joined fingers and Sonora felt her life fading away, she spoke one last time,_

"_This pact will follow you all your lives. If you dare betray it then I will come back from the Netherworld and kill you myself.__Remember daughters, we have been tricked! Fooled by a lowlife half blood! We of the Black family must take our revenge…" and with those last words Sonora Black died. _

_Her three daughters bore her last words with them ever since. Planning stealthily and moving behind the scenes to bring about the end of the Dark Lord's reign._

_End Flashback_

_

* * *

_

"Draco, _what _is that ragged _thing _that you're toting about?"

The Slytherin Trio (as they were jokingly called by their housemates) was walking to breakfast surrounded by their usual posse of fellow 6th years. Draco sighed and rolled his eyes,

"Pans, this _thing _is something that someone lent to me for the night. I have to return it to them today. Did you really think that I would _buy _something this ragged?"

"I can't even get past the fact that you're touching it!" Pansy exclaimed. She sounded particularly disgusted but it wasn't any of Draco's business to care. The ragged thing he carried was Harry's cloak which he had slept with through the entire night, though he would never admit it. He carried it on his way to breakfast with every intention of returning it to the Golden Boy despite liking it very much.

"Draco my man, you seriously _wore _that _rag _on your body?" Blaise asked, sounding as disgusted as Pansy. Draco would have been very cross with them for slandering Harry's cloak but knew that:

1: it would let them discover his pathetic love for the Golden Boy

And

2: it would merit ages of teasing and ridicule from the entire school. Including Harry

So he opted to fume silently and hope fervently that they would let the subject go soon.

"Oi Draco look! It's your own favorite lion! Cor does he look edible this morning!" Blaise cried, sliding his gaze over to where Harry stood laughing with a crowd of girls. Draco immediately felt himself redden with anger and jealousy. How _dare _those idiot females speak to _his _Harry? Draco sauntered over to Harry, smiling frostily at the group of girls behind the Gryffindor's back. They left at top speed.

"Oh Potter, such a woman magnet. I wonder what the rest of us poor boys will do for girlfriends. We might have to resort to teachers!" Draco drawled, Harry smirked down at him,

"It's alright _Draco_," he said,

"I have no interest in those girls they don't have the kind of…_allure _I look for," the innuendo in his words did not go unnoticed by Draco (who would have been spluttering but Malfoy's did not _splutter_) and the blonde boy blushed lightly. Harry gave them all one last look and walked away.

"If anyone ever made your name sound sexier I will eat my wand," Blaise said sounding dazed, Pansy nodded her agreement.

"You two need to stop watching porn so much! You're always so horny!" Draco said, his blush intensifying. Pansy smirked,

"Maybe our little Virgin should stop prude-ing about and join us sometime," she leered and Blaise broke into laughter. Draco scowled at both of them before turning and walking into the great hall.

* * *

"Snape's definitely got something up his arse lately, I mean, I know he's normally a prat but lately he's been the giant nosed king of arses!" Harry grumbled to Hermione as the ambled towards the lake during free period. Hermione smiled brightly at him clearly not very annoyed by Snape's unnecessary meanness. Lately she'd been going around school happier than a pauper in a palace, smiling at nothing and giggling when nothing was funny. Harry suspected the reason but decided to wait for her to tell him. He sighed and rolled his eyes,

"Oy Herm! Did you hear what I said? Where you even listening?" he said, snapping his fingers in front of her face. She jumped and gave him an apologetic look,

"Sorry Harry, I'm a little bit…preoccupied in the head now." She said. Harry rolled his eyes as if to say _'no, really?' _as they stopped underneath one of the many large trees near the bank of the lake. He sat and lay back on the cool grass, enjoying the feeling after suffering a stifling morning inside the castle.

"Summer's already here huh?" Hermione remarked, looking up at the azure sky thoughtfully. Harry nodded and sighed,

"Soon it'll be summer hols and then seventh year and then it's all over…" he suddenly felt very sad. No more classes, no more tests, no more snarky Snape, no more Neville and Lavender and Parvati, no more Hogwarts. He felt as if he was on the verge of tears and tried to force them away, he turned to look at Hermione,

"Well, at least I won't have to see any more of Snape's enormous nose!" he said jokingly, feeling a pang (albeit a very tiny one) at even that. A smile curved Hermione's lips,

"Snape's nose is not enormous; it's just a little…er…overwhelming" she said. Harry laughed and went back to staring silently at the sky. He knew that, though he joked about it, he really would be sad to leave Hogwarts; Hermione knew it too, but was also aware of Harry's aversion to getting very emotional so she kept silent about it. Harry smiled, the best thing about having Hermione as his best friend was the fact that she always knew what to say and what not to say at the right time. He loved her more than he would love a sister, not like a woman and not like a mother, he loved her in a completely differing inexplicable way and he knew he always would.

As if sensing his gratitude at her silence, Hermione looked down at him and smiled, her love for him evident in her eyes.

Between them, there was no need to say "I Love You" because words didn't really mean anything; they said all they needed to with their eyes.

"I seem to recall another occasion where I found the two of you all cozy and alone together, it's quite sweet you know…" a familiar drawling voice said from somewhere behind the tree. Harry smirked,

"Oi Herm, do you hear a gnat buzzing around?" he said, Hermione smirked as well,

"As a matter of fact, I think I do. You know there's one good way to get rid of insects," she said, pointing her wand in the direction of the voice. Harry raised an eyebrow,

"How?" he asked, somehow already knowing the answer, Hermione's smirk grew positively evil,

"By dousing them in water of course!" she replied.

"_AUQUAMENTI!" _she cried and a spray of water erupted from the tip of her wand. A loud indignant squeak was heard from behind the tree and a very soggy Draco Malfoy staggered out.

"You!" he cried, pointing a dripping finger at a very smug looking Hermione.

"I'll be leaving you now Harry, I expect you lot have got a bit to chat about," she bent and gave him a kiss on the cheek (purposely to piss Draco off) before flouncing off.

"That girl is mad!" Draco grumbled, sitting down next to Harry and still looking very (soggily) grumpy. Harry laughed and sat up to look at the soaking blonde; he wore only his school shirt and pants as it was very hot so there wasn't very much to stick to him. The white shirt had turned transparent where it stuck to his pale skin; his pants clung to his slender legs like a second skin. Harry raked his eyes up and down the sodden Slytherin, from the erect nipples to the ankles, when he got back to the face, Draco had turned very red.

"d-don't look at me like you're going to eat me or something; we've only just started going out and I'm not a person who believes in rash sexual relations!" he said quickly. Harry laughed and looked away from Draco,

"Alright Princess, the big bad wolf won't eat you today…" he said and Draco relaxed a little.

"Er...I brought your cloak." Draco said, offering the garment to Harry,

"Eh, that one was sort of small on me. You keep it, even if it's not really your style, you can use it as a rag or something." He replied. Draco secretly felt pleased at getting to keep the cloak and knew it would be his favorite sleeping companion, he also felt slightly annoyed that the cloak which had been so huge on him was small on Harry.

"Last night…did you decide anything after I left?" Harry asked, still turned away from Draco. The Slytherin nodded and then remembered that Harry wasn't facing him,

"Yeah, I did some more thinking…" he said, and suddenly sneezed. Harry turned to him instantly,

"Ugh Draco, sometimes I think you're a lot dumber than you seem!" he said, groping around his pockets for something. Draco colored and glared,

"It's not my fault that I'm soaking wet and there's a breeze all of a sudden!" he cried, Harry rolled his eyes,

"Draco, are we wizards of not?" he said and Draco suddenly felt very stupid.

"Oh…yeah, well, I thought of that but I decided to tough it out and let it dry on its own!" he said calmly,

"This feels nice, it's too hot out here anyways." He lay back and forced himself not to wince as he felt his clothes stick to him more. Harry smirked but said nothing,

"Are you sure you don't want me to dry them for you?" he asked. Draco shook his head and continued to smile; Harry shrugged and pocketed his wand.

"So, about last night" Draco said after he and Harry had sat in silence for a couple of minutes.

"I thought about me and you together…and, don't ever mention to anyone that I said this but, I didn't think it'd be too painful. But I also know that you have that damned Gryffindor Hero complex and have probably thought about the Dark Lord and my family and all the evil things that could happen so much that it's like kicking a dead horse. Pointless. The fact of the matter is that you and I have already started the bonding process, if we don't...er...proceed with it, then I will probably die. There are things that I don't know about you yet, there are things that you don't know about me. I think that we should proceed as er…a couple so that when we do get married, like we'll have to eventually, we won't be like strangers. I hope you understand Harry; this bonding thing is for life. Just you and me forever, like you said before, eventually we'll have to have sex and produce an heir. I…God this is so uncool…I don't want to have my first time with someone I don't like even a little." By the end of his little speech, Draco was blushing and Harry was suddenly gripped by how cute he looked.

A slender beauty in wet clothes, a faint blush staining his cheeks and his big gray eyes looking slightly uncertain beneath their usual expressionless-ness. If ever there was a time Draco Malfoy needed to be kissed, it was right at that moment. Harry smiled and Draco looked at him strangely,

"Pot-um H-Harry? Why're you smiling at me like that? You're not thinking something weird are…" he said but was cut off when Harry took his face in his hands. Suddenly they were very close.

"Draco…" he murmured, caressing his cheek with his thumb,

"If you don't mind, I'm going to kiss you now."

Draco had no time to respond as Harry covered his lips with his own and he was drawn into the kiss.

Kissing Harry was different every time he did it. The sensation never stayed the same; this time, Harry's mouth was slightly dry and insistent. He didn't dawdle before using his tongue to deepen the kiss. Draco felt many things all at once. He felt water drip and slide down his body. He felt the sun's heat on his back. But mostly he felt Harry. He felt Harry's hands slide slowly to cup the back of his neck, he felt Harry's hard body on top of his own as they toppled to the tall grass. He felt Harry's breath as he ghosted kisses softly over his face. And he felt Harry's desire pressed into him, his eyes opened wide.

An old panic gripped him, one that hadn't surfaced in so long that he was sure it had disappeared. Images flashed through his mind, a big man grinned at him and reached to touch him. He squeezed his eyes shut but the man didn't go away. More men appeared and held him down; one man ran his hands over his body licking his lips as he did. Draco's panic escalated as one man loomed over him, his manhood pressed against little Draco's body. The man smirked and reached for Draco and the blonde's panic finally broke into hysteria.

"NO!" Draco cried lashing out at Harry and scratching him across the jaw. He shoved with all his strength and managed to get Harry off, he tried to run away but Harry grabbed his arm, more panic swamped him.

"NO! LET ME GO! DON'T TOUCH ME!" muddled images flashed through his mind and he felt tears.

"Draco!" Harry called, shaking the smaller boy slightly,

"Stop! Draco get a hold of yourself! It's me! HARRY!" he cried. He wrapped the shaking Slytherin in his arms and waited until the sobs subsided to shudders and the shudders turned into sniffles.

"Obviously," Harry said, looking out at the giant squid's tentacles waving in the air,

"There is something big that you've left out. You'll have to explain Draco." Draco took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

He thought he had overcome this. This terrible fear that gripped him whenever someone touched him. He hadn't dreamed of the incident in a year maybe, perhaps he had been too busy to think of it.

"When I was little…" he began, knowing that it would only be fair to tell Harry the truth,

"When I was little, people were always drawn to me. I…I am a Veela and being so makes me especially…attractive to others and not only as a mature one. I attracted a lot of…pedophiles back then; my father had to get me a bodyguard team," he gave a half smile remembering them,

"But once, I was kidnapped. They took me away and held me for ages…I thought I was going to die. They were only after my father's money, but when my hormone got into their senses…they wanted…something else." Harry's grip on him tightened,

"Did they…do anything?" Harry's voice was tight with anger and sadness. Draco shook his head,

"They only roughed me up, molested me a little. But…but I was really young. You know how kids are, something that scary was bound to follow me. I had nightmares about it sometimes but it wasn't until I was twelve and Pansy tried to kiss me that it really took hold of me. I just…I felt her hands on me and her mouth and I was suddenly really scared. I cried like a baby, after I explained to her what I'm telling you, she felt so bad, she was only joking really. I still have nightmares about it sometimes…but I thought I had overcome it. I thought that if I was willing…if I was willing then I wouldn't get so scared! Guess not huh? I suppose I should have told you about this before, looks like we won't need to talk about babies for a while huh?" Harry could tell he was on the verge of tears again and held him a little tighter.

"We don't have to talk about babies for a long time anyway Draco." He said quietly,

"I suppose you'll want to find a way out of this then huh?" Draco didn't even care that he let his sadness leak into his words, Harry chuckled softly,

"Why would I want that?" he asked. Draco looked incredulously at him,

"b-but, you won't be able to do anything with me. I know you're not a virgin, you won't want to be with a person you can't have sex with ever." Draco felt his heart breaking. Harry shook his head and took hold of Draco's wrists,

"No Draco, I won't have sex with you. I intend to love you eventually, and by then you and I would have gotten over this thing that's taken hold of you, and when the time comes, I will make love to you." He said, green eyes boring into Draco's gray.

"Until then, I'll try to restrain myself, just for you." He smiled and gave Draco a puck on the side of his mouth. The bell rang in the distance and Harry began to pull away but Draco gripped the Gryffindor's shirt tighter,

"Not to sound like some lovesick idiot but…but if you don't mind, I want to stay a little longer." He murmured, burying his face in Harry's shoulder. The Golden Boy smiled and wrapped the slender Slytherin in his arms, laying back against the tree and closing his eyes.

"I don't really mind much. It's good of a guy to spend some time with his boyfriend." He said. Draco felt a jolt of pleasure at his words as he realized that they really were a couple now, Smiling, he leaned against Harry's chest and closed his eyes as well, exhausted from his story and the emotional drain it had caused.

Neither Harry nor Draco showed up until dinner but neither of them minded.

Not at all.

Lily: Oo (hahaha with that little "incorrect spelling" squiggle word puts through things, my face looks like it's blushing!) anyways I like this chapter better. I know I'll be dodging the rotten food you people throw at me for sticking in another obstacle. Very sorry. Off to work now. I hope you enjoyed.

Review Plz


	16. Bella's Blunder

**Lily**: hehehehehe, so I have not been back in like…two weeks, so spank me, school is very difficile. I am a tired old bag lady who needs to brainstorm a lot before I get around to doing things, and then my mind plays it's evil dance of distraction and leads me astray, hence my collection (albeit small) of Snape one-shots. Recently I wrote "Please Bear my Children" yet another Snape one-shot that was a spawn of my TLAV frustration.

Anyways, as I am sure that nobody reads the place where the author makes an idiot of herself I will move onto the reviews which I and pretty sure at least **some **of you do read.

**Ura-hrd**: I always liked the Blacks, why not incorporate them

**Harry's Kitten**: I'm not much one for sodomy…(and I don't mean the definition first given at

**Kari Morgana Black**: my friends are kissing beasts some of them, most are still untouched comme moi. It'd be terribly embarrassing to ask! And kissing I think only looks gross cuz of all the saliva involved…I never did get the point of sooo much saliva

**Danish Pastry 28**: I am not very good at dodging things. I am also a very obvious target being very tall…oh merde

**FeltonxMalfoy:** (cough) yeah, I am a bit of a moron but allow me to explain. I spent HOURS with a piece of paper and the Harry Potter Lexicon (great site) figuring things out. I first got the age of Tonks, Lupin, and Snape (using their entry dates into Hogwarts). They have a specific age only for Bellatrix of the three sisters, she is 35, the same age as Lupin and the same age James, Sirius, and Lily would have been. From there I took Tonks' age (22) and figured that Andromeda could not be younger than Bellatrix since her child was so old. Originally I was going to make her the youngest, but she would have had to have her child at like…16 since they give Tonks' birth date. Then I went and found how old Lucius was (41 in the 6th book which is where this fic is set….the year) and made Narcissa just a bit younger. So Narcissa is older than Bella but younger than Andromeda. If I go by my age configuration for this plot, at the time Bella is 35, Cissa is 39, and Andromeda is 41 which sounds perfectly reasonable to me. The exact ages of Bellatrix and Andromeda are unknown as the year they entered Hogwarts is not given and their relationship as sisters is not given so I just stuck them in on a reasonable scale. And about Phineas, I am aware that he is not originally Bella and company's uncle, he is dead. I do know that he is the great great grandfather of Sirius thus the father of his father's dad…I think. But Phineas is not the ORIGINAL Phineas I inserted. The two original Black Brothers that spawned Sirius and Cousins were not given names so I named them after their great great grandfather Phineas Nigellus Black. One is called Phineas and the other is called Nigellus. Sorry if that was confusing. So yeah, the Black family tree I've made up here seems pretty correct to me, but I will look it up in the books if you say it's wrong.

whew! Exerting myself!

**Mimifoxlove**:

Bonjour!

1:Yeah, well, the Black family tends to get scary with these things them being Dark Magic affiliated. But Sonora Black firmly believed in the old ways of raising your children. As you can see, she quite doted on Narcissa and Andromeda, she taught them properly how to be perfect high society witches. If you notice, Bellatrix is certainly less refined than either of them, even in the real books she is always said to be cackling loudly or some other sort of unladylike behavior.

2: Bella is a little wrong in the head. And it is partly Sonora's fault considering she did not appear to love Bellatrix nearly as much as she loved Andromeda or Narcissa

3: I'm not sure what I'm doing with Draco's random attackers yet…

4: He can be…when he wants to

**Makalani Astral**: thx, I thought that introducing the flashback beforehand would ruin its effect…

**Spirit element**: have you read all the manga? Does it continue after the anime left off? Cuz the anime left off REALLY BADLY! I mean the end made me wanna SSSCRRREEEAM!

**Rlmess**: speaking of snogging (evil har har har glance at Harry and Draco)

**Sinful Ice**: yes, I am a SasuxNaru and IrukaxKakashi shipper. I LOVE THEM! Recently for FMA I really like RoyxHavoc, it's really appealing but I still like RoyxRiza. I WOULD help ya with the Gundam…only it is not available for download anywhere…iunno might be, I have it on VHS. Veela Handbook! I have one of those coming up soon…

And about being my twin…hrrrmmmm….hrrrmmmm…do I have one? No! I only have a psychic sister! So you can be my twin if you want to! We can have special matching…er…things…whatever we'll straighten that one out later.

**DracoDormiens7**: hahaha about that line, I ALWAYS hear guys in anime (sorry to bring it back up) saying that when they're confessing. I too would LOVE to hear that!

**Olupotter18**: heheheh Bella remains to be explained

Well I've done two pages of reviews. For those of you who I didn't get, I LOVE YOU! Dis chapter took me soooooo long to spit up! Soooo

Please Enjoy

* * *

The Malfoy Manor was well known for its beauty and refinement. The Malfoys, being very rich, had spent many a generation on making the enormous property the envy of Wizarding high society. When Narcissa Black had been considering marriage with Lucius Malfoy, the first thing she had thought of was the gorgeous Manor in all it's splendor and the thought that it would be hers if she married Lucius was what drove her to choose him.

Apart from the immaculate gardens, various secluded and useful areas on the vast property, hundreds of bedrooms and bathrooms, seven libraries and other assorted rooms, Malfoy Manor was better known by the "inner circle" of purebred Wizards for its massive dungeons.

Truthfully the dungeons were the only part of the Manor that Narcissa hated. They ranged from suites for "special" prisoners (as the Malfoys used to hold political prisoners such as kings and the like in the past) to the tiny dank shoeboxes that an underweight teenager _might _be able to squeeze into.

It was in one of the cells just about the size of a closet that Narcissa's sister was being held and it was that cell which she was visiting. She held a silk handkerchief over her nose, trying not to grimace too badly at the stench as they approached her sister's holding cell. She was eternally grateful to the maid who had advised her (albeit in a terrified apologetic way) not to wear anything she would mind throwing out to the dungeons because she knew that the first thing she was doing when she got out was removing her outfit and slippers and burning them.

She passed three more cells (each holding a decomposed skeleton) before she reached the one her sister was in. Bellatrix looked up,

"Listen you foul big nosed mudblo…Oh, sister, it is you. I thought it was…someone else" she cried, calming slightly as soon as she realized that it was Narcissa visiting her cell. Narcissa looked down at her with pity.

Imprisonment never did well for Bellatrix. Whatever feeble beauty she had possessed when she had married the Lestrange boy had fled her. Her face was thin, skin stretched tight over bone. Her eyes seemed as if they were circled with heavy purple-black paint and looked as if they could pop out of their sockets. Her lips had cracked and bled in places and looked to have a disgusting type of greenish tint to them. Her hair had thinned almost to the point of baldness.

She looked uglier than she ever had in her life. Narcissa suddenly felt quite smug for _she _was still young looking and beautiful. And she did not smell like Bellatrix's body was doing quite energetically at the moment.

"You know…I never wanted to agree with mother's request…" Bellatrix said suddenly, voicing the thought that had tormented her since childhood.

"I never wanted that stupid bitch's stupid burden! I never wanted to defy the Dark Lord; I am not a blood traitor like you have become Narcissa! What happened to the "high and mighty Black women!" Have you no pride? No sense? No…" a smack resounded through the dank corridor and Bellatrix stared in shock at Narcissa who had just slapped her across the face.

The second Black daughter's face was contorted in fury, her gray eyes cold and hateful,

"You forget your place Bella," she said, her voice cold as ice. Bellatrix sneered at her and opened her mouth to speak,

"Do not!" Narcissa cried, holding up her hand,

"If you speak one more word I am afraid I will have to kill you and that would not help our mission at all. After all, you are still a Death Eater,"

"Don't think for a minute that I will spy for you filthy traitors!" Bellatrix screamed earning herself a second, harder slap across the face. Narcissa scowled down at her little sister in disgust,

"You would do best to hold your tongue sister, our Honored mother might return and fulfill her part of our bargain on you if you are not prudent."

Bellatrix clutched her throbbing cheek and glared venomously at her elder sister,

"you and Andromeda always were the weaker ones, always following whatever that bitch of a woman you called mother told us to do!" she screamed,

"I was never part of your stupid plot! The Dark Lord favors me above all and soon he will rule this world! You people and your foolish rebellion will perish and I will remain victo…" Bellatrix's words were cut off as she began to choke. The air in the cell became thick and the temperature dropped several degrees, she felt ice cold fingers wrap around her throat and begin to squeeze. Narcissa smirked down at her sister,

"You see Bella? The curse is already taking hold of you. I don't think mother will kill you yet, she will give you another chance to redeem yourself. And let me tell you sister _dear_, that is a far sight more merciful than I would have been." Bellatrix could not respond for the pressure on her neck increased, her eyes bulged in their sockets and her tongue lolled out of her open mouth, Narcissa sniffed in disgust and turned to leave.

"The Dark Lord holds a meeting in two nights' time, **you **will be present and you **will **gather the information we need and return **immediately**. I will not tolerate any deviations nor will mother. You are a foolish girl Bella, you always have been, it is too bad you didn't learn better when you reached womanhood." And with those words Narcissa left the choking woman behind in the stench of the dungeons without a second glance.

* * *

Severus Snape really wasn't one to fluster. He was considered a man with nerves of steel. Among the few things that really made him blush was anything related to and involving sex. Though he could deliver innuendo better than most, his tolerance for being in a situation where sex was involved or where he had to speak of it was very low. And so when he was faced with his newest task on the path to destroying Voldemort, he had a bit of a problem.

For weeks he had utilized his powerful skills of Occlumency to help move the relationship between the Potter brat and Draco along. He had come up with an image as he remembered the beautiful half Veela girl that had been at Hogwarts during the Tri-Wizard tournament. He completely forgot her name (Fink? Flan? Floor?) but he somewhat remembered her looks. All that really registered with him was the fact that she was very beautiful. Snape had tried to shape a woman along these lines and had failed miserably and instead of producing pale beauties he produced…something else. And so he had turned to another gender and, this time, used a model to work off of. His model, for reasons unknown to himself and anyone else, had been one Remus Lupin whose body had popped into Severus' mind as he thought.

Ignoring the disturbing implications of that development, Severus went to work making Remus' body that of a quite feminine beauty of a man. Since Remus was quite manly looking (the effect of the fitfulness of the werewolf at the full moon. He might look very weak but he was actually quite strong as he had to be to keep alive after he transformed) Severus had quite a bit more work cut out for himself.

He had named his creation after a very powerful Veela called Sir Weischer Hiathos von Weller (1) who had lived a long time ago and had been one of the very first half blooded Veela ever in existence.

He implanted Hiathos into Harry's dream first and then Draco's watching them closely and wondering if he had been too subtle, too evasive, and if he should have allowed Harry to remember his dream.

In the end it had turned out fine and they had come together, but now it was time to urge them past another Seal and for Hiathos to appear again.

* * *

_Excerpt from "A History of Magic Gold Edition" _

_The von Weller family is not known very well through wizarding history as they are not directly involved in most important wizarding events. They were an old and respected family that has some of its children in the Malfoy, Black, and even Meliflua families. The von Weller family played a key role in the aftermath of the Veela Preservation Act in 1610. _

_Veela bonding involves more than copulation. There is an elaborate set of reactions both sides of a Veela relationship must go through in order to fully create the bond. These reactions or "seals" were observed and named by the von Weller family and have been used ever since. _

_The very first seal is that of Acknowledgement and it occurs when both people realize the bond and thus create a weak link between themselves. A small reaction will occur in the Veela that will slightly alter its hormone and begin to attune it to their mate's scent. _

_The second seal is that of Physical Involvement. This seal needs to be broken at two stages as the first one is any kind of amorous physical activity between the pair and the second is actual coitus, a binding of the bodies. At this stage a reaction in the Veela **does not **occur. Experts still do not know why the reaction does not take place in order to strengthen the link._

_The third seal is that of mutual love and that can be broken at any time. After the admittance of love by **both parties **a reaction occurs to bind one of the three main "elements" of the bond (Body, Soul, and Life). This seal binds the Body element and begins to bind the Soul element. _

_The fourth and final seal is the second Physical Involvement seal called the **Binding of the Bodies**. This seal completes the binding of the Soul element and binds the Life element. This seal often comes last because, if done without the completion of the third seal, the bond will remain incomplete. To complete this seal and thus the bonding process, the bonding pair must participate in coitus. It is at the very end of the aforementioned act, when the body nears climax that a Gate is opened in the Veela soul (and if one partner is not a Veela that does not matter because their soul must open to accept the bond as well) and the Life and the rest of the Soul bonds are completed. _

_The von Weller family was well known for their research and observation of the Veela species. In fact, most of the true information on Veela available in this time is because of the von Weller's work. _

_In truth, the von Weller family was not originally a Veela family. After the Veela Preservation Act in 1610, the family was the sovereign of Wizarding Europe. Because the current ruler of the leading Veela tribe wanted assurance for end the hunting of his people, he demanded a marriage between one of the Veela and one of the von Weller children. The Veela leader gave his daughter Calliope to the son of the von Weller head whose name was Keith. Luckily, Calliope's nature as a Veela could be subdued until she had borne the von Wellers three children (after which she committed suicide due to her "unfaithfulness" to her mate who she never met). Calliope and Keith von Weller were the couple to create the first half blood Veela noble ever recorded. They named their first son Weischer Hiathos von Weller._

_The Von Weller family, branching off from Keith, was also known for their immense literary talent. They developed a very unique way of writing poetry to their loved ones. It was believed that the structure of this poetry was created from listening to Lady Calliope von Weller's last words. Von Weller poetry is always either very romantic or very tragic and the language used is never what is considered "plebian" or laymen's language. One very famous von Weller poem was titled Evanesce and was written by one Alexiel von Weller to a lady by the name of Cecile Meliflua:_

_I…am a heart…beating_

_Yet…you do not…want me_

_Though…we must be…as one_

_You…deny the…magic_

_Our…love always…fleeting_

_Like…the seasons…leaving_

_I…love you more…always_

_I…hope that you…love me_

_Alexiel did eventually marry Cecile Meliflua and it is said that Evanesce was the poem that swayed her. _

Harry sighed and sat back as he finished reading his assignment. The whole story had lacked much interest for him but one thing had caught his notice. The name of the von Weller son who had married Calliope.

'_Hiathos' _he thought. The name was familiar, entirely too familiar for him not to remember the face or even the person. He felt goose bumps rise on his arms as he pushed the history book away from him.

He was in History of magic and, for the first time in his 6 years at Hogwarts, Professor Binns was absent. In his place was a willowy young woman called Professor Ventresca and she seemed to be unnaturally enthusiastic about the von Weller family, Veela, and von Weller poetry.

"Cor mate that was a bit on the really boring side wasn't it?" Ron whispered to him from his seat in the next row. Harry nodded absentmindedly not quite hearing Ron's words.

However, unfortunately for Ron, Hermione had heard,

"Ronald! This is a very interesting piece of history! Especially after all those goblins we've had to learn about," the frizzy haired girl squealed a little,

"I can't believe we're finally doing von Weller poetry! I've been waiting _ages _to go over them! I didn't think Binns would ever get past all those goblins to do them! Ooooh! I wonder what Professor Ventresca is planning to do with this lesson?"

Harry and Ron exchanged exasperated looks behind her back and turned to the front to listen to the Professor who had begun to speak

"Alright, I assume you all finished that little tidbit on the von Weller family? Good!" she said, Harry caught Ron's look of mock pain at her sunshiny attitude and stifled a laugh.

"Well, today I want to see the literary skills of some of you children so I'll be pairing you all up and I want to see what you can write for me! Of course it'll be von Weller poetry so you'll sound as if you're dying and you're telling this to your partner in gasping breaths but that is ok! Because the macabre origin of this poem structure is what makes it so fun! Now! I will list the pairings, listen up people!"

Professor Ventresca began to list them,

"Granger, Weasley

Goyle, Crabbe

Parkinson, Longbottom

Zabini, Finnegan

Thomas, Brown

Malfoy, Potter"

Harry got up and slouched over to Draco, looking as if he really did not want to be there when he was quite pleased. He sat down,

"So _Malfoy _what is it we'll be writing about now?" he drawled, Draco scowled at him,

"Do you think that your puny mind could process the finer points of von Weller poetry?" he sneered, but Harry knew that it held no malice. He smirked at him,

"Well then, we better see if my _puny mind _can grasp any of this von Weller nonsense…" Draco just gave a long exasperated sigh and went to work.

**Some time later…**

Draco gaped down at the piece of parchment in his hand, feeling a headache forming. He sighed and made sure to inject his pain into it, Harry looked blithely unaware of Draco's apparent pain for he was busy gazing into the ceiling.

"Harry…" Draco said, his voice low, the Gryffindor looked over at him and raised an eyebrow,

"What in the name of all that is poetry, were you thinking when you wrote this?" Draco brandished the parchment and Harry shrugged,

"I was thinking of sleeping, I'm pretty tired…" he mumbled, eyelids drooping. Draco pinched him and he shot straight back up,

"ow! You prick! What the bloody hell was that for!" he hissed, Draco glared at him

"For writing this piece of…of…horse shite!" he groaned in frustration and began to read Harry's poem aloud,

"This…poem sucks…though you

Might…not really…know it

I…am kind of…tired

So…let me go…to sleep

Now"

Harry shrugged,

"What's so bad about it?" he asked, seriously seeing nothing wrong with his poorly written composition. Draco sighed and dropped the parchment.

"aaah I guess it's too bad that you don't have even a drop of von Weller blood in you, that would give you as much skill at it as I have. Oh well, not _everyone _can be born perfect," he heaved a dramatic sigh and slimed at Harry who smirked back.

Suddenly Harry's quill dropped off Draco's side of the table and he leaned over very close to the Slytherin under the pretense of reaching for his quill. Draco felt Harry's large hand wrap around his own and tried not to blush, the Golden Boy's face was mere inches from his own, so close he could felt he heat radiating off his body.

"If you're so perfect at it…" Draco could feel Harry's warm breath ghosting along his skin, he shivered,

"Then you must teach me how to do it right…" he pulled back and Draco _knew _he was blushing.

Damn!

He cleared his throat and tried to act normal,

"Well first Potter," he began, purposely using Harry's last name, the green eyed Gryffindor raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing.

"First, you can't just use simple words like you did in there…you have to change the word so it still means the same thing but sounds more elegant." Harry frowned,

"But in Evanesce the language was easy and plain…" he pointed out. Draco sighed for what seemed like the fiftieth time that night and leaned in closer to Harry,

"Evanesce was originally in French, that version in our book is the idiot translation." He sniffed haughtily.

"So explain to me the changing of the words…I don't understand," Harry began to trace light circles on Draco's palm underneath the desk; it was distracting him…A LOT. Draco colored more and cursed his fair complexion,

"Er…w-well, y-you have t-to…" Draco realized that he could be described as blustering, but Malfoys did not _bluster _they had 'momentary lapses of memory" and were thus unable to produce anything intelligent. But by the smirk on Harry's face Draco knew that it would be quite a laugh for the Golden Boy if he were ever to speak his thoughts.

He cleared his throat and tried again,

"Well, for poems like these, you have to substitute like I said. So something like, you're very pretty could become _your beauty is like the blazing light of a thousand suns _or something. Or if you were writing a poem to me since, according to von Weller family laws, I am your fiancé, you could write something more intimate: so instead of saying "I like your body," you could say _thy body is more beautiful than all the world's most perfect flowers_. Do you see how it works?" Harry looked about ready to burst out laughing; Draco raised an eyebrow in irritation,

"What? You look as if you're about to explode with giggles. This, I assure you, would be none too manly of you," he told Harry, scowling at him. The Gryffindor smiled at him,

"Oh don't worry, I think I'm quite manly enough giggling or not. I won't be doing any sort of effeminate laughter today," Draco's scowl remained and Harry shrugged.

The rest of the block was spent by reading the class's various poems to their partners. The most hilarious to decipher were Crabbe's and Goyle's since they usually thought like the poem was set up (disjoined and incomplete) their minds could not comprehend the similar yet foreign writing structure. Instead of writing it properly, they did the complete opposite and tried to write in regular pattern but failed miserably and reverted to their broken sequences of mindless garble.

Draco seemed a little bit miffed with Harry and thus ignored all the Golden Boy's attempts to distract him which confused Harry no end.

When the bell rang, Draco gathered his things and hurried out before Harry could catch up to him. The Golden Boy was left puzzled and slightly upset in the classroom, Hermione sending him a sympathetic look and Ron gazing at the both of them in confusion mirroring Harry's.

* * *

Draco walked through the halls deep in thought. It was the end of the day and he was wandering down a hallway that was always deserted at this time of night. Everyone was in the great hall eating but he didn't feel very hungry.

In fact, he felt awful.

He had attributed his sickly pallor and red rimmed eyes to a bit of a flu he had caught from so many night walks when Pansy had asked but he knew what it really was. He had skipped the remainder of his classes after History of Magic and had cried himself to sleep. He _always _looked a bit peaky after a nice long cry.

Truthfully he hadn't been particularly mad at Harry that morning. He had just completely lost it for some reason and had snapped at the Gryffindor. Then, when he had walked out in a huff, he had gotten as far as the door of his next class before a crushing wave of despair and guilt had hit him and made him weak in the knees. He had run back to his dorm and had stayed there for the rest of the day, crying into his pillow and clutching Harry's cloak.

He knew he was being ridiculous and that it was most likely his Veela hormones going a little bit crazy since Pansy had deprived him of his sugar saturated meals for some days but he couldn't help but think things like

_What if Harry hates me?_

_What if he doesn't want to bond anymore?_

He had cried over those for a long time before he finally slept.

Now he wandered the halls, unable to sleep after his long "nap", and wishing that Harry was there with him.

Suddenly he was grabbed from behind and whirled around then pressed into a niche in a secluded side hallway. He struggled but a hand over his mouth and an arm like a steel band around him prevented him from doing much.

"sssh sssh, Draco! It's me! Harry!" a familiar voice hissed in his ear. Immediately Draco relaxed and turned around in Harry's arms so he was facing the taller boy, he opened his mouth to speak but Harry leaned in and kissed him.

His hands did not move but there was no need (and they would have made Draco start to feel apprehensive) his mouth did all the work.

Draco had found, from his meager experience, that Harry's kissing varied every time. This time it was filled with what seemed to be every ounce of passion a body could contain and then some. Draco slid his hands up Harry's arms and clutched at the fabric of his shirt at his shoulders. He felt as if he let go then something very bad would happen.

Soon air became an issue and they broke apart breathing hard and Draco started to speak again but Harry silenced him with a finger to his lips. The Golden Boy looked down at Draco and slowly slid his hands to cup the Slytherin's face. Emerald eyes, lit oddly by the shaft of milky moonlight filtering in from a nearby window, bored into wide gray. For one moment Draco could see into those mysterious orbs but then it was gone. Harry opened his mouth and spoke, his voice was low and mesmerizing

"_Draco_

_In the morn I wake and stretch, after dreaming of you_

_The birds they sing a song about you_

_Your voice is like a gift from above to we who are not worthy_

_You grace us with your beauty_

_If only I could look at your face for all time_

_At the gloaming I mourn the sunlight_

_But also praise the moon_

_As those milky rays only make you more beautiful_

_You are for my eyes to keep_

_For my mouth to devour_

_I wish to have you_

_All of you_

_Perhaps right now we lack those four letter words_

_But only for a little bit_

_Only long enough for me to own you_

_Only long enough for me to capture you_

_Only for you does my heart beat_

_And only for you does my body burn_

_I…will try to…like you_

_You…and I will…succeed_

_In…making this…work out_

_Our…bond is like…roses_

_It…remains so…Lovely_

_I…will try to…love you_

_Draco…_"

Their eyes never broke contact until the very end. Draco breathed hard. The poem hadn't been the eloquent poems of his ancestors, but it certainly evoked a much stronger reaction from his body. Maybe it was because he was in love with Harry that he trembled as he stood or that his heart beat rapidly. Harry continued to look at him,

"Do you understand?" he asked, Draco nodded. The poem had been more than a sappy bit of fluff. It spoke of Harry's intentions towards him. Harry had told Draco that he was willing to try and love him, to be with him forever, but that he wanted Draco in a physical sense as well. That eventually, they would make love. Draco blushed and slid his hands up Harry's chest and rested them on his shoulders,

"I understand that you'll want to do this…all the way s-so you have to understand that even though I might not seem like it sometimes…I'm trying to make this work as well." With those serious words he leaned up and placed a shy kiss on Harry's lips.

Draco was slightly disgruntled with his inexperience but pressed in a little harder; he was shocked and very pleased when Harry groaned and wrapped his arms around Draco's body and returned the kiss, taking it to an entirely different level.

Harry slid his tongue inside and eagerly tasted the Slytherin, the sensation of kissing Draco never got boring for him and the taste '_oh Merlin his **taste**' _was simply intoxicating. Harry felt himself slipping further into his desire but fought to keep his body under control, his hands wanted to move over Draco's body, to touch and to caress but he knew that Draco would be afraid again and something deep inside him told him that he didn't want that.

Draco gave a little moan and pressed into Harry; the Golden Boy groaned and broke apart. **That **was too much for him to handle. Draco looked up at him lips, bruised and red, slightly parted. Harry had to look away from the enticing picture he made before he lost control. The Gryffindor stood a few minutes, hand against the wall of the niche, slumped over and breathing hard trying to reign in his hormones.

Draco looked at Harry, he looked pained and slightly desperate as he stood slightly bent over. Draco had seen Harry's eyes before he closed them; they had been nearly black with passion. Tentatively he brought a hand up to touch Harry's shoulder and the Golden Boy flinched. Draco felt all the muscles in Harry's arm tensed and tight. He observed the rest of the Golden Boy and noticed the rigidity of his body even slumped over.

'_His whole body must be tense…he's trying to hold himself back…for me' _Draco nearly cried. Instead he slid his other arm up to Harry's shoulder and felt the Golden Boy tense further,

"_Draco…_" his voice was ragged, carrying hints of desperation and some pain. Draco felt his heart break more and he began to hate himself. He drew Harry against him and rose on his toes and hugged the Gryffindor tightly. Slowly Harry's arms reached up to wrap around Draco and they both slid to the floor; Harry with his back against the wall and Draco between his legs, still holding onto him and secretly loving the feel of Harry's arms around him.

"Harry…" Draco whispered, the Gryffindor looked at him to indicate he was listening,

"When you want to…want to kiss me…" Draco's blush returned and he looked away momentarily,

"When you want to k-kiss me, I don't want you to hold back!" he said. Harry looked as if he was about to say something but Draco quieted him

"No…I want to get over this thing with you. I want…I want to be able to m-make love with you when that time comes. So from now on please put your best into it." Harry smiled at him and hugged him tighter. Draco clutched the fabric of Harry's shirt and smiled,

"But for today," he said, relaxing against Harry's broad chest,

"Thanks."

Harry only smiled

* * *

Bellatrix smiled widely. She was free! That fool of a sister of hers had actually let her go to the Death Eater meeting when she _knew _that Bellatrix wasn't loyal to their foolish mother's mission.

But Bellatrix had _known _faking an attack by a ghost would persuade Cissa to let her go! She _knew it_! And now she stood before the Dark Lord, ready to divulge all her sister's foolish plans. Soon **Bellatrix **would be the one laughing.

The Dark Lord appeared in the high chair before her, he smirked down at her, his red eyes glittering malevolently at her.

"So Bella, have you recovered from your illness? Your sister told me that you have been sick lately and that is why you were unable to attend the meetings I called…" Bellatrix nodded eagerly, unwilling to come up with another excuse for her absence.

"Good, good…" Voldemort smirked and Bellatrix felt herself relax,

"But that is still unacceptable! Service to me means never ending labor to achieve our final goal! You have failed me! _CRUCIO!_"

Bellatrix crumpled under the spell, screaming and sobbing pitifully. Her prison diminished body could not take the spell and she felt herself cough up blood. The Dark Lord stopped the spell and smirked,

"Excellent. Now that you have rightfully been punished, you say you have important news for me?" Bellatrix smiled through her pain and blood and stood eagerly. Finally! Finally she would expose her mother's and her sisters' treachery and send them to death gruesomely.

'_The Dark Lord will love me well for this!' _she thought happily. How wrong she was. For Voldemort had heard some very interesting information earlier that day.

His trusted servant Severus Snape had contacted him that morning. He had given him the usual drabble about the goings on at Hogwarts but then he had wandered into his personal life and Voldemort had been ready to curse him for wasting time when he let it slip that he had seen Bellatrix writing a letter to Dumbledore. He had known it was to Dumbledore because of the envelope next to it addressed to the old man.

He then noticed that the youngest Black sister had been behaving strangely for some time but he had attributed it to grief over Rabastan's death. After letting that out, Snape had proceeded to shrug it off as Bellatrix's "women's things" and had left, needing to return to Hogwarts before Dumbledore noted his absence.

The Dark Lord had been thinking hard after that. He too, in fact, had noticed Bella's strange behavior. And she _had _just been absent for quite some time. It was when she had walked in looking shifty and scared that Voldemort decided to kill her.

"Oh yes my Lord! You see my m…' Bellatrix stopped as she felt herself begin to choke. She sank to her knees as a violent wind whipped up in the room, she felt immense pain from her hand and looked at it a moment before a slit appeared and blood exploded forth from it. The red liquid drained from her body and she began to feel dizzy, the blood took on a form, an ominously familiar form.

"Mother?' Bellatrix whispered.

(AN: I really coulda ended it there….)

The blood had formed into a full blown replica of Sonora Black, all the features exact. The frightening woman smiled sweetly at Bellatrix but the smile did not reach her eyes,

"I told you before Bella..." she said, her voice sinister,

"If you break this promise, I **will **kill you. And look what you've gone and done! Broken the promise! But no worries, you'll have none of those problems soon. After all, there are no problems for the DEAD!" Sonora bared sharp teeth and in an caught and held Bellatrix's eyes with her own,

"You always were the weakest one Bella, foolish and greedy and jealous. It's a shame you are from the noble Black House." Sonora wrapped her icy fingers around Bellatrix's neck and the woman began to plead pitifully, sinking to her knees. Sonora simply looked down on her with disgust and slit her throat with one razor sharp nail. The major blood vessel in the neck had been hit and blood spurted forth, Bellatrix dropped to the ground and splashed in her own blood. Her pale face stained with the vivid red.

As all this had happened, all Voldemort had seen was Bellatrix clawing silently at her throat and becoming very pale and then her throat was inexplicable cut open. He watched her die as the blood drained from her body.

He stood and walked over to where she lay, gently oozing blood, he frowned and shrugged,

"It is too bad…" he said, turning back to go and find Wormtail to clean the mess,

"I very much wanted to be the one to kill her…"

Back at Malfoy Manor Narcissa calmly sipper her tea when she felt a slight burn flash and fade quickly on her hand. Across from her Snape smirked,

"Do you think it worked?" he asked casually, Narcissa laughed and set down her tea,

"I just felt it now. She is dead; mother came back and killed her. Foolish Girl Bella was, she really thought I fell for that paltry bit of playacting she did in the dungeons!" the blonde woman scoffed and picked up her tea again, Snape's smirk took on an air of satisfaction and both adults looked each other in the eye.

"The process for the third and fourth seal has begun…" he said, Narcissa nodded,

"The time draws near Severus…we must hurry." She said, Snape raised an eyebrow and laughed bitterly

"The flow of time won't stop for this weary old man will it?" he said, Narcissa gave him an equally bitter smile,

"Time stops for no one Severus, and you are not old. Now get back before that old man notices you are gone..." she replied.

Severus bade her goodnight and apparated away.

* * *

**Lily**: I AM SO SORRY! It's been FOREVER since I last updated I knoooow, but school is a BIOTCH! Sooo yes, I teeny tiny bit of fluff and some more info, some seals are about to be broken and some stuff is goin down in da shizzy!

I don't know what I just said!

Hooray for improper English!

WOW! 16 pages! You love me right?

I am eagerly awaiting your reviews (if anyone is still there after all this time)

I am on the brink of 300! Yaaaay!

Anyways, I hoped you liked

Questions, comments, love notes…maybe even flames are velcome! Just hit the pretty bluish button!

Plz Review


	17. The Third Seal

**Lily**: O.O woooowwwww! I'm past 300! Hoorah! I'm so happpyyyyy! I lurv all you reviewers! You all made my day! But anyway! Here's the next chapter…the story I think is reaching the climax, and perhaps in another chapter or two we will experience the first bit of H/D smut in this fic. I've been practicing lately my smut. I know it sounds strange but there is actually a way one can practice writing smut. And that's what I'm doing. I hope it'll be lovely and refined by the time Draco and Harry are ready.

Anyways

Onto the reviews!

**Animmage**: thank you very much! I won't give up on this fic, I like writing it too much.

**Draeconin**: aaah gomen gomen! My vocabulary has a bit of an idiot streak in it. Thanks for the corrections

**Ura-hrd**: aaah Harry and Draco…I'm getting to that. Actually trying to thin the plot and get to the climax and conclusion

**Phoegan Leisha**: and I thank you for it. I hope you'll be with it til the end

**Starr Light1**: hehehe I wanted to draw a picture but severely lack the artistic skill to render it. I am a poor clumsy girl who likes to write. About Blaise, you have it a little mixed up, but I'll fix that soon I hope…

**Mimifoxlove**:

-sankyuu

-aaah I thought sooooo hard to come up with that! I'm really bad at doing romantic things like it

-… (Mysterious glance and giggle)

**Makalani Astral**: I didn't even know I was going to kill her until I actually set it up to happen. It was kind of a "go with the flow" thing. I like how she died though because truly, Bellatrix Lestrange is a pitiful woman.

**Lunelwe**: I'm sorry about the wait. My school teachers hate us all and want us to suffer under the weight of work.

**Danish Pastry 28**: yeah, Bella was too weak anyway, plus she would have completely killed the plans.

**Moonstar-dust**: thanks for the complement. Draco's ooc-ness well…I'm going to be lazy and attribute it to his little bit of fanon-ness in the 6th book

**Dreaming-Sensations**: I actually started off with reading fluff in Het stories. I am a closet fluff fanatic, I LOOOOVE fluff. So more of it is on the way!

**LadyDragonWolfKnight**: It came out gross though it wasn't my original intention (actually killing her wasn't what I planned on for last chapter but…it came and I went with it)

**Jujube15**: I have ideas stuck in my head a lot but sometimes songs. Like now I have "bratja" from FMA in my head and before I had "Holiday" by Green Day stuck in my head. I get so easily distracted so it ends up being tragic for my grades.

**Lavenderpup**: AAAAH U GOT IT! I put a number one by the von Weller dude's name when it first appeared but forgot to note on it at the end. Yes I watch Kyou Kara Maou, I LOVE kkm! I have recently fallen for Yuuri's older brother, Shori. I'm on episode 44 I think. Do you watch it?

**Midnightsrose**: thanks, I hope you like this chapter

**MalfoyRocks**: I neglected reading the next _gossip girl_ to get this in sooner. I hope you enjoy it!

**Dracomalfoysbadgirl**: thankyou very much! I hope you'll stay with it til the end.

**Kavfh**: the fun has yet to begin… (Mysterious smile) read on

**Tommydrive**: Thanks, some people like Draco better as a Dominant but I didn't like having Harry be a Veela and I thought I'd have more fun writing him (Harry) Dominant. I actually like it both ways so I can read both.

**Olupotter18**: loootsa people hate Bella. I didn't pay her any mind until OotP I believe. Something about the name Bellatrix drew me in.

**Treck**: I think you were! And you get that feeling because it is most likely true.

**mars explorer**: sorry about the confusion. Snape is not a traitor…you'll see.

Ai-yah! That was all the reviews! Well, it's to thank you all for over 300 reviews! I lurv you all!

(swoons with feelings)

I shall write ye this chapter and then I want to finish reading "Memoirs of a Geisha" which is an incredibly good read. Pick it up! With all that said (and 2 pages of review reply)…

Please Enjoy

* * *

Narcissa stared out the tinted window of her Rolls Royce silver cloud MK III and sighed.

The little exclusive village her driver was navigating through was located just off the edge of a large Muggle city and was full of large exquisite houses with perfectly manicured lawns. The place was perfect in that generic freshly manufactured way that held none of the beauty of age like Malfoy Manor. Narcissa sniffed disdainfully, none of the mansions measured up to the Manor in size or elegance and the families that owned them were uncultured nouveau riche Muggles with barely a generation of their bloodline and hardly any large achievements.

Many would be shocked to see Narcissa Malfoy riding through such a place where she was sure to be averse to setting foot near because of the impurity but nobody knew of her visit there.

The car pulled up smoothly to a large purple and yellow Victorian style house with a circular driveway and a large fountain of a cupid statue in the center; the house was the only one with cherub shaped shrubs adorned with tiny muggle lights. Narcissa wrinkled her nose delicately at the overwhelming amount of kitsch and prayed that he eyes didn't break from the sheer ugly of it all.

The driver opened the door and held out an arm for Narcissa to use as she exited the car. Narcissa stood and squinted as the full effect of the house hit her unprotected eyes. Through the tinted glass of her car the house had been ugly, but in full daylight it was positively hideous. Resisting the urge to vomit, Narcissa walked up to the large front door (which was colored a terribly clashing powder blue) and rang the bell.

The man who answered was clothed in the most ridiculous uniform Narcissa had ever laid eyes on. He was very tall and very slender and wore high green and purple pinstriped pants that buckled a little above the bellybutton. The belt was a wide strip of powder blue satin studded with large evenly spaced rhinestones. The shirt was a bright lime green and was tucked into the pants; it was peeking up from beneath a velvet waistcoat and had a ridiculously large ruffle at the neck. The waistcoat was a garish yellow thing with enormous shiny rhinestone buttons; it hurt Narcissa's eyes to look at it. But the crowning piece was the long penguin tail jacket which was a bright red with diagonal purple stripes and gold embroidered edges.

Narcissa tried to keep her revulsion from her face as she looked up into the man's eyes,

"Welcome Madame…who is it that you wish to visit?" he asked.

"I've come to see the Mistress of this…house" Narcissa forced out, trying to swallow the wave of bile that was trying desperately to escape her body. The butler (for that is what he was) bowed her into the foyer and Narcissa was greeted with more of the same peculiar decorating as outside.

"Just a moment…" the butler said before bowing and disappearing behind a bright green door. Narcissa was left standing in the middle of the cavernous foyer dubiously eying the large fuchsia chandelier and the dangerous looking spiky plant to her left.

It was a couple of minutes before the butler returned to the foyer, he bowed and said,

"This way madam," before walking through a different door. Of course Narcissa was expected to follow which she did.

They ended up in a large circular room Narcissa presumed to be at the back of the house. It was as horrendously decorated as the rest of the house with purple and yellow striped walls and a bright green carpet. Large brightly colored beanbags littered the ground along with stacks of magazines, used mugs, old takeout, and various earth colored shawls. In the middle of all the chaotic mess, seated on the largest beanbag in the room and reading a magazine, was the Mistress of the house. One Andromeda Black Tonks, Narcissa's older sister.

When Narcissa entered the room Andromeda looked up, her gray eyes widened slightly and she dropped her magazine,

"Cissa?" she said breathily. She turned to the butler and waved him away, when the door had shut behind him Andromeda turned to her sister, her face blank.

"What do you want?" she asked. Narcissa winced slightly, so much for beating around the bush.

"Bella is dead." She said blandly.

Andromeda stared straight at her, twin gray eyes met and an understanding was reached between them. Both knew how Bellatrix came to die, both knew who had a hand in it, and neither one was sorry.

"She always was the weak one…" Andromeda said airily, sitting back gracefully on the beanbag (which should have been impossible but she _was _a Black). Narcissa gave a delicate snort and perched on the edge of a beanbag,

"Well, now that's over, what to do about our plan hm?" she said, Andromeda gave a shrug,

"I gave birth to part of it, as did you. We should let fate sweep it from our hands…" she said in her usual dreamy voice. Narcissa rolled her eyes,

"You've done a fine impression of a mental derelict for now sister, we must move soon or it will all fail." She hissed. Andromeda's gaze regained their sharpness and she looked directly at Narcissa,

"Nymphadora is an Auror; she has protected the Potter boy from harm. She is my contribution. When the time comes then she will be ready and useful. I raised her to be that way." She said, the dreaminess gone from her voice. Narcissa sneered at her,

"You never were strong enough to do anything but rely on others _sister_" she spat and rose to go but Andromeda's hand gripping her wrist stopped her. Narcissa looked startled into gray eyes dark with anger,

"Please sit for a little longer _Sister_," Andromeda said and rose, she threw a look over her shoulder at Narcissa that clearly meant trouble if the other woman moved. Narcissa was so shocked by Andromeda's behavior that she stayed sitting and watched as her sister prepared a tea tray for them and glided back over to her. Quietly Andromeda set out the tea and finally sat back down, her eyes still dark with fury,

"When we were children Cissa, you were more like the elder sister than me. I was always the weaker one, the less _purebred _one. Truthfully, I am not naturally strong. I was born with a magical condition Cissa, you didn't know? No. Of course not, Father and Mother never told anyone and they Obliviated the man who diagnosed me. It's called Personality Symbiosis. Within my mind there are two personalities, both of them are me but not me. The weaker one is the one that was more firmly ingrained into me; the one I show now is weaker and more fleeting. Two different things live closely together and depend on or benefit off of the same thing. That's what Symbiosis is, and that's what's going on inside me. Yes, I am weak, too weak to rely on myself. But I was born this way Cissa, I didn't ever choose it. So never call me weak again because you can't even begin to understand what I go through and you surely could never endure it." All this was delivered coolly as if she was remarking on the weather. Andromeda put down her tea and rose, Narcissa rose as well still stunned by what she had just heard.

"Please sister, do me the favor of never visiting my home for the sole purpose of sneering at me and telling me bad news, I'm quite a…_fragile _person. I'll also ask that you use my Nymphadora for whatever it is that you need to aid the plan. I've done my part, Mother knows it, please leave me be for now." Through this Andromeda had led Narcissa to the door, when Narcissa regained her focus she found herself standing just outside the room with Andromeda across from her inside it. The older woman smiled joylessly at her,

"Arnold will show you out now. Goodbye Little Sister." The dreamy quality was back in her voice and her eyes were slightly glazed again. Before Narcissa could say anything the door was shut and she was faced with its bright blue color.

"Excuse me madam, I have been told to show you from the house now," Narcissa turned to see the butler from before bowing at her.

'_This must be Arnold' _she thought as she followed him back to the foyer and to the front door. He bowed as she walked past him outside and shut the door when she exited. Narcissa walked down to her car and her driver opened the door for her. She hesitated before she went inside and turned to look back at the gaudy house. It was a terrible clash of colors that were completely incompatible. The slightly dull purple stripes next to the attention commanding yellow stripes; Narcissa looked a bit closer and noticed that, though the yellow stripes were more forceful in their command of attention, the purple ones were wider and took up more of the space. She shook her head and entered the car and closed her eyes as the driver headed back to Malfoy Mansion.

* * *

Severus Snape glowered. He glowered at the ground and at the shrub next to him and at the bench. He nearly caused heart attacks in elderly witches who met his furious gaze and was sure to have given quite a lot of small children nightmares. His gaze only intensified as someone new toddled across his line of sight.

He was waiting at Hogsmeade station and had been waiting for quite a bit of time. It was a Saturday and he had wanted to get the long morning of sleep he had desperately craved all week but that, as it turned out, was not to be. It just so happened that Dumbledore had noticed his continuous fatigue, not that Snape hadn't tried to conceal it. The old madman had burst into Snape's classes on Friday morning and commandeered them, ordering the Potions Master to his room for rest and relaxation. Of course Severus had not rested; he had much work to do aside from those tasks required by his job.

The plans were going beautifully and Severus had to be very glad about that. It was painfully close to the time when everything they had worked for would succeed or go down in horrendous flames. He had reported to the Dark Lord a few times, feeding him nonsense about Harry and Draco's bond status.

He had discovered a new and disturbing factor about Draco that might hinder their plans and had reported to Lucius. He had spent most of his week thinking of ways to get rid of that particular problem. It had been during one of his brainstorming sessions that Dumbledore had burst into his study and told him suddenly that he was to have an assistant to help him with his work.

Snape was not happy.

He was furious.

Dumbledore seemed quite pleased with himself, the barmy old codger had even refused to tell Severus the name of the person he would be sharing close quarters with for the next couple of months.

And so he stood at the platform, waiting for his new assistant with a glower on that could make even Voldemort a little scared. He heard the noise of an approaching train and watched as a smooth black train rounded a corner into Hogsmeade Station and pulled to a stop. The door to the compartment directly across from him slid open and out walked a large group of people. Severus didn't make an effort to make himself known as the escort from Hogwarts. He stood there with a black look on his face scowling at everyone. It wasn't until he felt someone tap his shoulder that he spun around and his angry glare fell into a look of utter shock.

"Professor Snape?" a familiar yet not voice said and Snape suddenly had the impression of thousands of butterflies bursting from cocoons and fluttering about in his stomach. Standing before him, looking happy and a little bit shy, was Remus J Lupin.

* * *

Draco's week had been one of the nicest in his entire life; not because of anything typical (like Christmas) but because of something that many people never paid any attention to because they were so used to it.

After the incident in the corridor that night, Harry had taken up being a good boyfriend even more vigorously than before. The day after that he had dragged Draco to a place called the Room of Requirement and had formally announced to Hermione, Pansy, and Blaise that they were going out. Ron, he had explained, would need to be told at another time and separately in case he threw a tantrum (as he was wont to do). All of them had made ridiculous "awww" noises over him and Blaise had proceeded to ask him what color he planned on making his bridesmaids wear.

Their relationship was to remain a strict secret to anyone outside their little circle as it was dangerous if someone like Voldemort got a hold of the news for it was more than easy to take advantage of their bond. Draco was a little sad about that as he would have loved to hold Harry's hand or even walk next to him to their classes. Of course he never divulged those particular thoughts to anyone.

But their secrecy did not mean a total lack of contact. Harry **loved **touching Draco. At every chance he got he would brush his hands against Draco's or "accidentally" graze his thigh (which made Draco blush). Harry was trying to accustom Draco to his touches and when they were alone, which was sadly not very often, they were almost always touching.

Mating season was a mere two weeks away and Draco wondered what the status on his phobia would be by then. He found that he no longer got nervous when Harry's hands wandered while they kissed but if he let his mind stray to thoughts of anything beyond that he felt the beginnings of panic hit him.

Aside from touching him, Harry did a great many other things towards romancing him. On Monday Draco had found a single white rose on his bedside table with a note attached that said 'Good Morning' on it in Harry's familiar untidy scrawl. On Tuesday an owl had delivered a little package to him, inside it was a beautiful quill with a note that read 'to write your lovely poetry with'.

By the end of the week, Draco was quite sure that Harry's reputation as a Lady Killer was very accurate.

Draco had never been through the process of being wooed by a guy. It was very nice, though he never admitted it. Sometimes Harry sent him only notes and sometimes looks and even those made Draco's heart flutter and melt.

'_I am such a girl…' _he thought to himself.

That Saturday he and Harry sat in the Room of Requirement doing their homework. Harry had draped his long body over a futon on the ground and was concentrating hard on writing his Potions essay. Draco was doing some Arithmancy on a couch. There was no noise but the rustle of papers and the scratching of their quills but it was a very comfortable atmosphere.

Suddenly Harry dropped his quill and stretched with a loud groan,

"I'm done!" he said triumphantly. Draco smirked at him,

"It took you long enough," he said. Harry rolled his eyes,

"Anyway, let me see your essay to compare," he said. Draco brought out his essay and walked to Harry, a little bit of shifting and they were both on the futon peering at their papers.

This, as it turns out, was a bad idea since they wanted to get some of their work done. Draco, Harry discovered, smelled very good. He must have been using a different shampoo because the smell was incredibly intoxicating. It was because of this, and the distracting feel of Draco's legs pressed slightly against his own, that Harry grabbed the smaller boy and kissed him square on the mouth.

Draco was a little bit shocked at first but responded eagerly when his mind caught up to what was happening. Harry shifted so he was on top, so he could feel Draco's body beneath his. Draco, Harry had discovered earlier that week, did a lot of squirming when kissed.

It was a mark of how far they had gotten in fixing Draco's problem that Draco didn't even think of feeling nervous in their position. He was immersed in the wonderful feelings Harry's mouth on his awoke. He loved being kissed by Harry, not only because he was in love with the boy himself, but because it felt like nothing he had ever experienced before in his life.

He slid his hands slowly into Harry's hair and gripped there, loving the feel of the silky locks between his fingers. He moaned and felt a blush tinge his cheeks. Harry broke the kiss and they both breathed hard.

Harry looked down at Draco's flushed face, taking in the swollen red lips and wide eyes. He felt the Slytherin's soft body pressed to his and had to stop himself from imagining that same body completely naked in that same position. His eyes widened as he felt blood run straight to his crotch,

'_Oh Gods Potter get your mind out of the gutter!' _he thought and got off Draco.

Though they were making process, Draco still was not ready to go where Harry's body really wanted them to go. The past week had been like heaven and hell combined for him. Every day he was able to meet with Draco and touch him and kiss him but every day he had to stop himself from doing something he knew both of them would regret and every day he had to go back to Gryffindor tower and take very long very cold showers.

Draco sat up and looked at Harry where he sat. The Golden Boy's back was facing Draco but the Slytherin knew that there was a very difficult battle going on within the other boy.

"Harry?" he said tentatively, the Gryffindor grunted in response,

"I…I'm sorry"

He felt tears threatening but held them back with some difficulty. He thought that Harry was mad at him; his Veela side was nearing hysterics, screaming at him to give Harry what he wanted,

'_I've got to start eating my sugars again' _he thought offhandedly. He felt a hand on his arm and looked back up to see Harry staring at him,

"Draco…" he murmured and then suddenly gathered the Slytherin into a tight hug. Now Draco was slightly confused and was about to say something when Harry began to speak,

"I want you to understand that I'm not mad at you when I get like this…" he let go of Draco a little so he could look into his eyes. Draco was relieved to see that he was smiling,

"Just…it's hard to stop and let you go when we get that far. Let's just say that I'm a little hornier than I originally believed myself to be" he chuckled a little and Draco felt the impending panic vanish. He sneered at Harry,

"Well…it's not unexpected" he said in his snootiest voice,

"Boys like you are always er…horny. It's a good thing I was raised to keep such bad mannered behavior in check." He gave Harry a reproving look before bursting into giggles. Harry's eyes glinted,

"aaah well, I suppose I'm quite a healthy young man. But I'm sure I can loosen the reigns you have on your own…_bad mannerisms_" he gave a playful smirk and drew Draco into another embrace. Slowly one of Harry's large warm hands found their way to the side of Draco's face. The Slytherin closed his eyes as that hand slowly caressed his cheek with slow circular motions.

"Ah you see my problem," Harry whispered, inching in slowly gazing lovingly at Draco's face,

"Is that I think I love you too much for someone I've just agreed to eventually fall in love with."

Draco's eyes flew wide open,

"_What_?" he said in disbelief. Harry smiled and took Draco's face in his hands and gazed into his eyes,

"I've had my suspicions for a bit but I'm sure now. I love you Draco…"

Draco's mouth would have dropped wide open but Malfoys did not _gape _instead he stared at Harry in shock trying to reassemble his thoughts (as his mind had gone through a sort of breakdown).

Harry took in Draco's shocked expression and laughed nervously,

"Yeah I know we've only been going out for a week but I've known you since I was 11, even though we weren't friends. I know we said that nothing mushy would be said, I just thought you might like to know…I won't say it agai…" but Harry was cut off by Draco's mouth on his own. The Slytherin pulled away and stared Harry straight in the eyes,

"Don't expect me to say this very often Potter," he said, suddenly blushing,

"But I…I…l-love you too." Harry looked completely shocked for a minute before he recovered and a strange smile spread across his features. Draco looked at him dubiously,

"Er…Harry? What's with that weird look? Why have you got that ridiculous smile on? Hey! Watch where you put your hands! Hey!" Draco was suddenly jumped by Harry who started raining kisses on the Slytherin's face and neck. Draco, with much effort-as Harry was quite a bit larger than he himself was-managed to push Harry off. He rolled his eyes at how happy Harry looked

"Calm down Harry, it's not as if I've offered you my virginity right here and now!" Harry leered and Draco gave him a disgusted glance.

"And I'm not going to either you pervert!" he said. Harry only smiled at him and held out his arms; Draco crawled into the Gryffindor's embrace. After a moment of silence Draco spoke,

"Well, as long as we've confessed everything," he said, a blush spread across his face

"I want you to say it again." Harry smiled and leaned down so that his mouth was level with Draco's ear.

"I love you" he murmured. Draco smiled and settled more comfortably against him.

Neither Harry nor Draco paid any attention to the slight tingling they both felt in their chests at that moment. But it was at that moment that the Third Seal was breached.

* * *

The Dark Lord was in a perpetual black mood. Everything seemed to be going wrong. He was feeling the repercussions of killing Lucius now. Why had he ever killed Lucius? The man was the most competent of his followers, he ever beat Severus for competence and yet Voldemort had killed him. Now he was faced with problems.

Because Lucius was the one who took care of his followers, who kept close watch on all of them, and who fished out the spies and traitors, the Dark Lord was left with a group of possibly traitorous witches and Wizards that he had scarcely laid eyes on. His next Death Eater meeting was scheduled for that night and he was trying desperately to believe that Lucius had done a proper job of ridding the Death Eaters of spies because it was on this meeting that he planned to discuss the Raid he had been fantasizing about for weeks.

He had planned to enter Hogsmeade and burn the whole filthy village down, and then, when all was chaotic and the Aurors were preoccupied with fending off hundreds of Death Eaters, he would go to Hogwarts and finally rid himself of the Potter brat. Of course there was more to it than that. He needed the boy to be at a certain stage with the Malfoy whelp and, from what Severus had been reporting; they were at that point now. Then he would capture the little Slytherin and escape to Malfoy Manor. His mate, the Potter boy, would desperately follow and then Voldemort would kill him. He knew that, if a certain number of Seals were completed, once he killed Potter, the Malfoy boy would die as well. This was why he could not wait.

He only needed a certain amount of love cultivated between the boys. Enough to make the Potter boy angry enough, and stupid enough, to come to him once he captured the Malfoy boy.

This raid was to be his Last Strike. The Second War had begun already. It had started the day little Harry Potter defeated him for the second time.

Voldemort smiled a little, despite his irritation. No matter the inconvenience, he was going to kill Potter, he was going to kill Potter and he would kill Dumbledore as well. Then he would take the Malfoy brat and use him to bear his heirs.

Voldemort licked his thin lips,

He had always liked blondes.

* * *

Ron was pretty sure that something was going on. And that something was something he did not know about. Something that made Hermione, Harry, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, and Blaise Zabini very happy at the same time, something that made Harry sneak glances at Hermione and made Hermione give Draco Malfoy knowing looks across the room, something that made Draco blush whenever Hermione delivered said look and which made Blaise and Pansy wink and nudge. Something that provoked the overuse of the word something and made Ron's head hurt from trying to figure it out.

And so he sat that Saturday on his own in the common room, staring out the window. It was an uncommonly rainy day. Harry was off someplace and Hermione was in the library. Ron's overactive imagination steered his thoughts in a bad direction. One that pointed to cheating and secrecy and which involved Harry and Hermione doing things that people did not do when they were _just friends_. But Ron was getting better at not being so idiotic with what he let loose. He wasn't about to find Hermione or Harry, march up to them and demand if they were seeing each other behind his back. Besides, something told him that they weren't that cruel. If they loved each other that way then they would tell him…

_Right? _

At that moment, Harry walked into the common room looking flustered and very happy. His clothes were out of place, his hair more rumpled than usual and his mouth was a little bit swollen.

'_Now there's one bloke who's been thoroughly snogged' _Ron mused. Harry spotted him and walked over,

"oy mate, long time no talk!" he said, throwing his body onto a chair and giving Ron a large white toothed smile. Ron smirked at him,

"Harry mate, as much as I know you love turning _anyone _on with your 100 megawatt smile, you might want to turn it down a bit, I wouldn't shag you if we were the last two people on earth." He said. Harry smirked back at him and, very maturely, blew him a raspberry. The both chuckled.

"So mate, what have you been up to?" Ron asked, sliding a sideways glance at Harry. The dark haired teen shrugged and looked to be in thought; his face went through a couple emotions (from slightly sad to incredibly horny).

"Nothing much Ron, and you?" Harry finally answered. Ron sighed,

"Er…well actually I've something to tell you." Had Hermione told Harry about their relationship yet?

Harry sat up, looking interested, Ron felt a blush creep onto his cheeks and cleared his throat in a gruff manly way,

"You see…er…Hermione and me. Well, we've entered into a…what you would call…erm…" he stumbled over his words and the knowing look Harry was giving him was not helping his embarrassment.

"We're going out" both of them swiveled their heads to see Hermione standing there smirking. Ron flushed a little more,

"er…'lo Mione" he mumbled. Hermione rolled her eyes and walked over to him, she bent over and kissed him on the forehead and then kissed Harry on the cheek. She sat down on Ron's lap and smiled a little as the redheaded boy began to splutter.

Harry let loose a long exaggerated sigh of relief

"Whew! It's about time!" he said and laughed. Hermione and Ron joined in and they were once again the Golden Trio.

Once they had sobered Hermione gave Harry a significant look before getting up,

"Ron…I do believe that Harry has a special someone to talk to you about as well." She said. Harry suddenly looked very nervous, Hermione stood to the side of the chair Ron sat in and looked at Harry, waiting. Ron grinned at Harry,

"Cor man! You've got yourself a girl? About time! I was beginning to think you were sterile or something!" Harry blushed and Hermione cleared her throat both, Ron noticed, looked slightly embarrassed.

"Er…no Ron, I haven't got a girl." He said. Ron looked confused and glanced at Hermione who shook her head and pointed to Harry as if to say 'let him explain'.

"You remember ehm…Draco Malfoy yes?" Harry said, Ron suddenly felt as if the bottom of his stomach had dropped out, he became very pale.

"Harry…you're not really telling me that…that you and…and…M-Malfoy are…d-dating?"

He stuttered. Harry said nothing and Ron looked to Hermione who nodded solemnly. Ron opened his mouth to speak but Harry spoke first,

"Listen Ron, I'm not sure what the opinion here is about boys and boys and girls and girls but I know that in the Muggle world, it's a very bad one. The thing is that Draco is a Veela and I am his mate. And I've already fallen in love with him…" he blurted. He waited for Ron's reaction but got nothing but a blank stare from wide blue eyes in a very pale face.

Hermione scowled at Ron and nudged him,

"Say something you great prat!" she hissed. Ron remained mute and Harry sighed and got up from his chair.

"Well…I guess we'll talk about it later…I just thought that you'd like to know." He got up and began to exit the common room

"Wait." Ron said suddenly. Harry stopped and turned to look at him, a shaky smile was on his best friend's face; blue eyes met bright green,

"Since you're going out with Fer-Malfoy, I suppose this means I can't make fun of him anymore then huh?" he said dryly. Harry grinned and Hermione gave Ron a kiss on the cheek,

"No…you can't." he replied. Ron got up and gave him a hug,

"So…you really love him?" he said. Harry's smile widened,

"More than I could ever say," Harry replied. Ron pulled back, a little embarrassed by their not-so-manly embrace,

"Then he's one lucky fer-er bloke"

Harry and Hermione laughed.

Sadly for them, their time of laughter and happiness would soon come to an abrupt and bloody end.

* * *

**Lily**: O.O I am sure you are all very angry with me by now. And if not then I am a failure at writing proper cliffies. I hope I've cleared some things up. Anyways, my eyes hurt. School 2morrow so I must vamoose! I hope everyone enjoyed it! 

Actually, About Personality Symbiosis…it sounded pretty flowing to me. I disregarded the proper definition of Symbiosis for that one heheheheheheh. Oh well! I liked it and as long as some people sort of understand what I was getting at, it's alright. At least now we have a reason for Andromeda's alternating personality.

Plz Review


	18. Wormtail's Redemption

Lily: OK, so I figure that I've got some 'splainin to do…don't I? Ok…um…first I got distracted (Goong drama, Full House drama, Kim Sam Soon drama, My Girl Drama) and then I had tons and tons and tons of work, and then I had gigantor sized writer's block, and then I just got bored with it. I figured it was kind of mean of me to leave the fic where it is now with people still reading it so I mustered myself and did a crash course on the fic (because I had no idea what was going on after so long) and now I am back! Hopefully this won't be all weird and disjointed, lots and lots of stuff went on in the 17 chapters previous to this and it's quite the bit difficult to go on from it once stopped…kind of like a derailed train. Anyway, I don't suppose anyone who still reads this is here for the author's note so I'll leave you all to fiction!

He was beautiful, stretched out on the floor as if he didn't have a care in the world. His eyes were half closed but his bright blue-gray eyes were still penetrating. He was fully clothed but it was almost no better than being naked, his outfit left _nothing _to the imagination.

"_Harry_" he called, his voice low and sultry.

"_Come heeeere_" no one in their right minds would ignore that command. Harry felt himself move towards the tempting figure, kneeling down next to him on the soft white carpet, and looking into those eyes.

He sat up and put his arms around Harry's neck

"_What would you like to do with me…or to me?_" he murmured, placing a soft almost nonexistent kiss on the nape of Harry's neck. The Gryffindor shuddered slightly and groaned.

"_Is that good? You like that? Or this…or this…or **this**_" he began placing more kisses along Harry's neck, making a trail to his jaw, sliding his little pink tongue along the shell of Harry's ear, driving the Gryffindor crazy.

"**_Draco…_**" Harry groaned and slid his arms around the tantalizing body before him.

Slender, shapely legs parted for him as he switched their positions. Large eyes looked up at him filled with lust; a kiss ravaged mouth, slightly parted, let out pleas for more.

"_Harry please…take me_" he panted. Harry leaned in to kiss those lips once again and

**BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP **

Harry woke up frowning.

Harry woke up frowning and painfully erect.

"Bugger…" he said,

"That's some early morning _energy_ you've got there Harry" Seamus called cheerfully on his way out of the room.

"Good to see you up and at attention man" Dean said with a muffled snicker as he followed Seamus.

"Yeah mate, you're a right old stiff when it comes to mornings!" Ron cried, red in the face from laughter, and then ran from the room.

Neville sidled up to his bed and, looking anywhere but Harry, said

"You might want to take a shower…" before Harry could cry out in indignation, Neville spoke again,

"A **cold **one" Neville dashed out of the room, red as a tomato.

Suddenly Harry understood.

"Bugger!" he said for the second time that morning and dragged himself from his bed. Picking up his bath things, he rushed from the room, hoping that no one was still in the common room to witness his…dilemma.

* * *

Remus Lupin had never been an overly fussy type of man, all he needed in life was a place to stay, food to eat, and someone to talk to from time to time. In the past 17 years of his life the former two of those requirements had been as good as they had always been, but the latter of them had been slowly cut down. First all three of his closest and best friends had either died or gone to prison at the same time, the wife of one of his best friends also died, and their child was sent to a family of muggles. For a long time Remus Lupin had no one to talk to and that made him very sad and his health deteriorated. But then he was reunited with his best friend's child, Harry potter, and simultaneously one of his best friends, Sirius Black. But happiness never seemed to stay with him for Sirius had soon died and all he was left with was Harry who, while loving Remus very much, was a growing teenage boy with a dark lord out to kill him. Remus was quite sure he had a lot more to do than talk to his father's old school friend. 

Again he was left alone and he was beginning to tire of the solitude, so when Dumbledore asked him if he wanted to take a position as a teacher's assistant he was thrilled and, of course, said yes.

Now, however, some of his happiness was wearing off as Severus Snape tried his very best to make Remus's life a living hell.

"Well," the dark haired man drawled, "I _would _ask you to grade these essays but I don't suppose you're quite up to that level yet are you _assistant_?"

Remus clenched his teeth and thanked Merlin that the full moon wasn't near.

"No…maybe not _Severus_" he said coolly and took a seat in the hard chair next to Severus' desk. He stretched his long limbs and yawned, looking straight at the visibly annoyed potions master.

"W-well then you should make yourself useful, difficult as it is for one of your qualifications, and go scrub cauldrons!" Snape spat. Remus shrugged and examined his nails,

"Did that this morning along with the floors and desks" at Snape's incredulous look he shrugged again and smiled,

"I got bored" he said. Snape threw up his hands in exasperation

"Well then at least stop taking up my space and give me some room! Go to your chambers and…and _read _or something" he cried. Remus smirked; he'd noticed that Snape's speech pattern loosened as he became irritated.

"Am I really so…distracting?" Remus said, slanting a suggestive look at the flustered potions master. Snape spluttered for a second before regaining his composure (somewhat) and giving Remus his worst glare,

"Yes….you are" he said. Remus smiled and stood up, deciding to stop tormenting the potions master for now.

"Well Severus, I'll be in my rooms if I'm needed" he said.

He made his way towards the door but as he passed by Snape something stopped him in his tracks.

'_This scent' _he thought, sniffing lightly to find the faint and oddly familiar fragrance again.

It had been only for a second on his way to the door but he had definitely smelled it, the scent that awakened the werewolf within him and sent it into frenzy; the unique scent that could only belong to one being on the entire universe.

His mate.

"Lupin! I do believe you were on your way out of my classroom!" Snape's irritated voice brought Remus out of his trance, he blinked and looked around.

'_Maybe it was just residue left from someone who was in this room…' _he thought.

Throwing a half smile at Snape, who was clearly confused, he exited the room.

* * *

"Wait…tell me this again so I can get it straight"

Pansy Parkinson was a very clever girl. Perhaps not quite up to Hermione Granger level, but intelligent nonetheless. And being so clever, it was she who Draco Malfoy first consulted about his…problem.

"Pans…I really don't feel like going over the whole thing again, it's a little embarrassing" Draco sighed, flopping onto the couch in the common room where the duo sat. Pansy frowned a little and ran a hand through her hair,

"So you guys were studying and everything was fine and lovey dovey, and then it got a little hot and he backed off for you…then it got a little tense because..?"

"I thought he was mad at me for not being able to…you know" Draco blushed and made suggestive hand motions, Pansy smirked.

"Have sex? Yes well I do believe the both of you established that you had a problem with doing the Deed, of course Harry wouldn't be mad at you. Anyway, after your moment of oddness he explained away all your fears and then?"

"H-he told me he loved me…and I told him I loved him back" Draco refused to look at her but Pansy could tell without seeing his expression that he was happy.

Being completely and wildly and irrevocably in love had that effect on people. Pansy sighed and took a closer look at her friend. She noted how healthy he looked, glowing and beautiful; his eyes were vibrant and full of excitement.

'_I suppose all that housewives' rot about love making a person look better is true' _she thought.

'_I really envy you Draco Malfoy' _

"Oh Pans…I feel like a complete tart saying this but…he makes me so _happy_. I feel like I'm dreaming…Merlin! I must sound like a woman" Draco hugged himself and allowed the ridiculously wide smile he'd been trying to suppress slide onto his face.

What did he care if he looked like some smiling loon? The person he loved also loved him back and, as far as he was concerned, there was nothing better to smile about than that.

* * *

"Oy! Captain Woody, we've saved you a seat!"

Harry groaned and sent Ron a glare.

Ever since the incident that morning, his dorm mates had not ceased their jokes and innuendos. Even Neville had contributed (albeit timidly and not very often) to their marathon of "hilarity".

"Very funny Ron, could you please stop with the jokes? It's getting to be a bit stale"

Harry slid into the seat next to Ron. It was afternoon Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws and he was in no mood to be taunted any longer.

"Alright man, I'd hate to bring **up **any problems between us" the redhead broke down into loud laughter but stopped at the intensified glare Harry aimed at him. He coughed,

"Okay mate fine, I won't make any more jokes about your morning…condition" he said.

"Alright students, put away your wands and bring out your books" McGonagall swept into the room and began to write down pages from the book they would have to read that lesson. The whole class groaned (even the Ravenclaws) and brought out their books.

Thirty minutes into the lesson (which was actually thirty minutes of everyone reading the assigned materiel) Filch slunk into the room and requested to speak with McGonagall (something about some Gryffindors making a mess in one of the bathrooms). Immediately after the door closed behind her, everyone stopped reading and began to talk quietly. Ron turned to Harry

"I've been thinking Harry…" he said, looking nervous and somewhat embarrassed. Harry raised an eyebrow and nodded for him to continue,

"Ever since this morning I've been wondering, and this isn't because I want to try anything with blokes or anything, it's just…you had a really big…_problem_ this morning and I know who it was you were dreaming about. But…I don't understand what you see that's sexy about him. I know you're not affected by his hormone and you don't even fancy other blokes…what is it about fer—er Malfoy, that makes it different?"

Harry sighed a little and thought about Ron's question. What _was _it about Draco that drove Harry so completely insane?

"Well Ron, you'll have to take into consideration that Daco isn't quite as manly as you or I," Ron nodded "and well…even with him being male, he _is _very beautiful. And don't try and deny it Ron, I know you think so as well, and no not in a 'liking other blokes' way either. But I think it's just him…just who he is that makes him so sexy to me. I want to devour him and make him all mine, make it so that no one else can ever touch him or hurt him. I want to see him carry my children and become even more mine, do you understand Ron?"

The look in Harry's eyes as he explained all this to his best friend was that of complete determination. Love, lust, possessiveness, protectiveness, all those meshed together. Ron understood. He nodded and turned back to his reading just as McGonagall reentered the room.

'_That…' _he thought, _'is love of a different kind'_

_

* * *

_

Lord Voldemort smiled, his red eyes were slightly unfocused, and he was even sicklier than he usually was. His long, thin fingers clutched the arms of the chair he sat on, his breathing was erratic, and his body was stiff and-aside from his breathing-unmoving.

He was in a drug induced trance, his fifth one in a month. Nearby, Wormtail nervously wrung his hands and was torn between hoping the drug would kill the wretched creature he called master, and worrying that the drug would kill the Dark Lord's body but leave his soul to come back and punish Wormtail for his lack of vigilance.

Thick black fluid slid down the side of the Dark Lord's mouth and Wormtail gave a shudder as the stuff he knew to be Voldemort's blood trickled down the man's (if he could still be called as such) chin and slid onto his pale throat.

"_Jay-leaf…it will surely solve all of your problems. When mixed into potions it slowly kills the drinker without them ever noticing. It has no smell, it has no taste, it leaves no residue; even the most masterful potions experts have trouble detecting it"_

Wormtail swallowed nervously and clenched a hand in his dark robe. It was taking the Dark Lord longer to awaken from his trances. His body was getting weaker. His magic was dwindling.

"_How much will it take to kill a very powerful man?" _

The Dark Lord gave a violent jerk and his eyes began to refocus, Wormtail composed his features.

"_Perhaps five doses spaced out between a few months if you're looking for a long and slow death" _

"Wormtail! Bring me my potion!"

The little man hurried to comply, appearing the perfect picture of pitiful subservience.

One would think that a person would learn from past mistakes.

Once a backstabber…**always **a backstabber.

* * *

Lily: ok I know, only 6 pages after so long! Ah well, very sorry but I haven't any time right now. I am so tired and I had soooo much work to do, but I managed to bang this one out and hopefully I'll bring on more this coming week. Anyway, I hope I didn't hit any continuity problems and that this wasn't too boring. Any questions? Ask a la review! Heehee, have a naice day! 


	19. Double Lupin Shock

Lily: woah! There still be people who read this fic. Makes me vair happy 3. Anyway, I've decided not to give up on this just yet as it does happen to be inching closer and closer yet to the grand finale (and sex…that too). Thanks everyone for your reviews (yes…even that sort of fussy one about periods) it's because of you that I go on.

oh...slight smut warning y'all...just really REALLY slight but there.

* * *

Severus Snape enjoyed taking baths. They were the one thing in life, aside from making potions, which gave him any real pleasure. Unfortunately for him, because of an odd genetic trait, his hair always appeared somewhat greasy and people thought he didn't bathe because of that. Oh well, it wasn't his fault that his hair looked that way. But really, Snape was a hygiene freak and took baths three to four times a day.

It was because of his hygiene obsession that he was found at 1 a.m. in the special faculty bathroom wrapped only in a large towel and preparing the large swimming pool sized in ground bath.

"Finally" he sighed, sinking slowly into the hot water and inhaling the heavenly scent of the bubbles he had used. Closing his eyes, he sank a little further into the hot water and felt all of his muscles gradually relax.

"Oh, looks like someone's already in here" Severus sat up suddenly as a familiar voice rang out from the doorway and echoed in the cavernous room. His muscles tensed again and he turned around in the bath to see Remus Lupin standing a little away from the edge of the bath and in the process of setting up his bath things.

"Lupin!" Severus hissed, angry at the other man's intrusion. The werewolf looked up suddenly and, upon spotting Severus, smiled.

"Evening Severus" he said cheerfully. Snape scowled,

"Leave," he ordered. Remus put a look of mock thought on his face before smiling again,

"No" he said and began to strip. Snape became flustered (as he seemed to be doing more and more often these days) and felt a bright blush color his skin. Lupin continued to nonchalantly shed his clothing, not even caring that another person was right there in the room with him.

"Lupin! I ask that you please undress elsewhere!" Snape snapped, averting his eyes and hoping Lupin couldn't see his blush (unlikely but a man could dream). Remus raised and eyebrow and very slowly, almost sensually, lifted his shirt off his body and dropped it to the floor.

"Why?" he asked slowly, smirking and looking directly into Severus' eyes.

"B-because! It's unsightly!" Severus spluttered, hoping the other man had not noticed his scramble for an excuse. Or that he had been lying through his teeth.

Remus Lupin's semi-naked body was about the farthest thing from unsightly Snape had seen in his life. Tall and broad shouldered with muscles from years and years of surviving the full moon, Remus Lupin could _never _be called ugly. His hair was slightly damp from the moist atmosphere of the room and his eyes were turning a bit more golden as the full moon neared, his face was not the outright handsome that James and Sirius' had been but it was there. The skin of his back and sides were riddled with long painful looking scars, but that was beautiful too.

Snape let out a long breath.

"Feeling a little hot Severus?" Remus said, Snape glared at him and was about to make some scathing comment when the Werewolf's hands went to his boxers and began to slide them off. Snape's face, which had gone back to its normal color, became very red again.

"Y-you!" he gasped, and put a hand over his eyes. Remus looked at him and laughed,

"What is it now Severus?" he said.

"Put your undergarments on AT ONCE!" Snape shouted, feeling very stupid with his hand over his face. Remus chuckled,

"What? It isn't anything you haven't seen…or don't have" Severus growled and opened his mouth to say something else when he felt the water ripple. Remus had gotten in.

"Lupin, it would do well of you to stay on the other side of this bath," he said and for a moment he heard nothing. Then he felt the water ripple again and suddenly a splash of water as if someone was surfacing from underwater, Severus removed his hand from his face and gasped. Mere inches in front of him was a very wet, very _naked _Remus Lupin and the water did a very bad job of covering his…significant parts.

"LUPIN!" Severus cried, bringing his hands up to push the man away. He made contact with the smooth chest but was stopped from pushing by two strong hands grasping his wrists. He looked up into Lupin's eyes and found hat they were almost entirely golden now, much different than they had been a minute ago. They stood there, looking into each other's eyes for a time before Snape snapped out of his daze and began to struggle,

"Lupin! Lupin let go of me! Curse your beastly strength! Let me the bloody he…eh?" Suddenly Lupin had growled and had bent to bury his face in the crook of Severus' neck where he inhaled deeply. Snape shuddered but something told him that to try and get away was asking to be attacked. Lupin sniffed further along his neck and then his hair, his hands wandered experimentally up and down Snape's arms.

"L-Lupin, I think it best you cease your ministrations…ah….Ah" Lupin had done something with his tongue in the vicinity of Snape's ear which was, apparently, one of his erogenous spots. Suddenly a flood of intense feeling that Severus had not had in a long time hit him and he went weak in the knees from its force; he clutched Lupin's broad shoulders and mindlessly tipped his head back to allow the Werewolf more access. Lupin came closer to him, molded their bodies together and Snape could feel the other man's…crown jewels, hard against his stomach. He gasped and began to push at Lupin again; this was a man he was supposed to "hate" and had done so since he was a schoolboy!

"Lupin! Lupin, get a hold of yourself!" he cried. The man didn't seem to hear him and instead bit down on Severus' neck; Snape swallowed a moan and toughened his resolve. He absolutely _refused _to do this right now, when he was sure Remus was not in the proper state of mind. He shoved again but Remus' werewolf's strength proved to be too much for him,

"Lupin! Ah Merlin help me! Remus…Remus _please_" Snape said, softening his voice and using the werewolf's first name. Immediately the other man stilled his ministrations and pulled away a little to look into Severus' eyes, there seemed to be a battle going on in his mind,

"Lu---ehm, Remus, please, I need you to calm down and come back to yourself. Get your baser instincts back on a leash!" Severus spoke calmly so he didn't startle the obviously less-than-rational wolf like Remus. The other man cocked his head to the side and slowly the gold began to fade, immediately his shoulders slumped and his eyes lost focus,

"Mate?" he mumbled drowsily before slumping forward onto Snape, unconscious.

"Merlin save me, one more thing to worry about!" Snape mumbled, choosing to ignore the disturbing implications of Lupin's last word and facing the difficult task of heaving the bigger man out of the tub and to his rooms without being seen.

* * *

They were at it again. Harry scowled and looked across the library table at his two best friends who were not paying an ounce of attention to him.

A giggle and a sly flirtatious look; some mutual blushing and hands wandering beneath the table…it had been going on for a little while but it was still horrendously annoying.

"Ron, Hermione? I'm going to go find Draco and see if he needs help with the Defense essay…I'll ehm…see you two later" Harry raised an eyebrow when neither responded.

"And maybe while I'm gone the two of you can finally stop playing at being all nice and naïve and jump each other's bones" Harry smirked when that statement got a squeak and a blush from both. Satisfied, he strode from the library, wanting to give his two friends as much time as they needed to get cozy (er) with each other.

"Merlin's beard! They're like a pair of raunchy twelve year olds! Holding hands and making eyes and…_giggling_" he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked forward to the time when they knew each other better (and by that he meant when they had sex finally) because all the shy looks and little hand holding would end and they could (maybe) finally study.

He turned a corner and briefly noticed that he was headed towards the dungeons.

"Speaking of sex…" he mumbled. He and Draco hadn't gotten to that last step yet though not for lack of want. _He _definitely wanted it, so badly that the pent up frustration was driving him insane, but Draco…was not ready yet.

Harry sighed and leaned against the corridor wall. The past week had been very hard for him. Denying his body something it needed and _craved _with such strength that it was nearly vital had been eating up his energy. When he wasn't in bed or in the bathroom "soothing" his _problem _he was trying his hardest not to think about Draco (the source of hi troubles), which proved nearly impossible to do.

"Harry!" he turned in the direction of the voice that had called out his name and his face lit up as he saw Remus Lupin standing in the hallway looking slightly disheveled but generally healthier than he'd been the last time Harry had seen him.

"Professor Lupin!" he cried, standing to greet the man. Remus laughed,

"Harry, you know you can call me Remus" he said as they shook hands.

"What are you doing back at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, running a critical eye over his old teacher. The man looked very good, as if his monthly transformations were doing him a service rather than their usual damage. He also seemed to have taken it into his head that he needed new robes and the ones he wore didn't look as if they belonged in a janitor's closet.

"Oh I forgot to tell you Harry, I'm here as Professor Snape's potions assistant" Remus' grin seemed a bit predatory for a minute but Harry took it as a trick of the light.

"Doesn't that sound like a party every day" he snickered. Remus laughed

"It isn't as bad as you'd think Harry" he said. Harry rolled his eyes, and then a familiar flash of white blonde hair coming down the corridor made him turn around.

"Malfoy!" he cried, the blonde turned to him and said goodbye to Blaise who he'd been walking with, he made his way towards Harry.

"What're you doing here Potter? Aren't these the dungeons?" he said, raising an eyebrow and trying to look nasty. Harry smirked,

"What? Is this _your _territory Malfoy?" he said, his smirk rapidly turning into a smile. Draco stood for a moment more looking snarky before he gave up and began to laugh; Harry, too, lost it at his laughter.

"Ahem…" Harry turned to Lupin at the noise and took Draco's hand, bringing him forward so Lupin could see him.

"Remus, I believe you've met Draco," he said. Remus smiled, albeit confusedly, and nodded his head. His eyes flicked between Harry and Draco, it was quite obvious that he was confused. Draco turned to Harry,

"You haven't told your friend?" he said, raising an eyebrow. Harry shrugged,

"I haven't gotten to write to him, I only just came across him now." Draco smiled,

"Then I guess we'll have to show him" he whispered mischievously. Harry only had a second to splutter a bit before Draco's mouth was covering his own.

Harry bent a little to give Draco easier access and wrapped his arms around Draco's waist. The world beyond Draco had ceased to exist and, with a groan, he lifted Draco and pushed him against the wall. Draco began undoing the buttons of Harry's shirt and soon had access to his bare chest. His hands slid over the firm muscles and down the sides, Harry moaned.

Remus J. Lupin had possibly never been more embarrassed in his entire life. His face was bright red and, though it was terribly awkward, he could not look away from the two teenagers nearly having sex in front of him in the hall.

He cleared his throat, hoping the noise would snap the two out of their gropefest.

It didn't work.

He cleared his throat again, louder, and this time they heard him. Slowly, as if emerging from a trance, they broke apart. Draco looked over at Lupin and blushed bright red, he hid his face in Harry's shirt and refused to look at the older man. Harry, also blushing, coughed embarrassedly and looked at Lupin,

"Er…if you couldn't tell by now…Draco is my…um….significant other" he said. Remus raised an eyebrow,

"I could tell Harry…it was a little bit impossible with your…display" Draco made an embarrassed noise and Harry smiled,

"If you don't mind Remus, we're going to go and make some more displays…in private" he said. Remus nodded and turned to walk in the direction he'd originally been going in,

"Nice to see you Harry" he said, "and you too Draco."

Harry waved and the older man left.

"Draco, you can look up now, he's gone." Harry tried removing Draco's death grip on his shirt.

"If you don't mind Mr. Snog-people-senseless-in-front-of-their-former-professors I'd like to stay in here and get over my overwhelming embarrassment" came the muffled reply. Harry suppressed a laugh,

"And how long will that take?" he asked.

"Oh maybe…let's see…NEVER" Draco snapped.

"You DO know that it was your idea right?" Harry said, Draco responded by biting the skin of his chest. Hard.

"Draco! Are you a bloody animal?" Harry gasped. Draco glared up at him,

"Not one who fondles others in front of teachers" he said. Harry sighed, knowing he would not win this argument (though he was right)

"Fine, fine, I won't do it again. Happy now?" Draco's glare went away,

"Better not" he said and let go of Harry shirt. He straightened himself out a little and turned,

"Well, I'll see you later" he said, starting to walk away. Harry grabbed his arm and stopped him,

"No-no Draco, you're not going anywhere. We still have some…business to finish" Draco rolled his eyes but went to Harry and slid his arms around the Gryffindor's neck,

"You're insatiable" he said and Harry smirked

"I know."

* * *

"Barely over a week until mating season and we still have this problem! Severus this is becoming serious, they **must **mate when the time comes!"

"I am aware Lucius! Do you think I have spent all this time staring at clouds and daydreaming? No! I have been trying to think of a way to rid Draco of his fear!"

"Why does it still exist? Doesn't he love the Potter boy enough to go through with it?"

"He loves the brat more than we anticipated Lucius"

"Then what is it? Is it attraction?"

"No, that was not a problem from the start. It isn't that he doesn't love him or isn't attracted physically to him…it's his Merlin cursed trauma! He can't seem to get over it!"

"No Severus, there **must **be a way to rid Draco of this fear! They** must **mate before the Dark Lord's raid. Without Potter gaining that strength…without that then all is lost for Wizardkind"

"Not only Wizardkind Lucius…all of creation will fall if we fail. It will be the end of everything we have worked so hard to build"

"Then we mustn't fail."

* * *

Lily: eh 6 and so pages. Better than the last but still not quite up to the old long rambles. I've been held up a bit trying to discover a way to get over things such as Draco is suffering with. So if y'all don't know right now how he's going to do it, don't feel bad because neither do I. Eventually though it will come to me, as most things do, right now I will try and sort out all the twisty plot vines and set them in order so everything will close smoothly and resolvedly. Anyways, Happy Memorial Day weekend all, look out for chapter 20! 


	20. A Werewolf Lesson

Lily: woah, I feel like a person coming out of retirement. Thanks you guys, I am one review short of 400 (personal party). Anyway, I think some people are confused about Lupin…I'll be sure to explain. So now! On to the fic!

But first…

Hermione had been crying for the longest time. Her tears had run out and all she was left with were dry, heaving sobs that wracked her entire body.

"Mum was right" she mumbled dejectedly into her tear-wet hands,

"Boys really aren't worth it!" she dissolved into more dry sobs.

The day had started off normally; Harry had gone off with Draco (probably to snog him to within an inch of his life) and she and Ron had been left to themselves to do whatever they wanted. Hermione had decided to make a move first; she rarely gave Ron any real "action" and felt bad when she noticed the problems Harry was having because of his own sexual tension.

"Ron…" she'd murmured in what she hoped was a low, sexy voice. He hadn't responded like she'd hoped, he'd kept on reading his book (Chudley Cannons something). Then, thinking he was ignoring her because it was his version of a fun little game, she'd pressed closer to him, making sure her modest cleavage was pressed to his arm. He'd flushed then and stood up, his book falling to the floor,

"Listen Hermione…" he'd started and immediately she knew something was wrong. He never called her Hermione; it was always an affectionate 'Mione.

"What's the matter Ron?" she'd said carefully, failing at keeping the slightly fearful note from her voice.

"I loved you…I really did, you should know that. But…I think it's time we…well, I think we should call it a day with this…" he wasn't looking at her. Hermione suddenly had the feeling of everything dropping out from beneath her.

"w-what?" she'd choked out through the sudden tightness in her throat.

"_What?_" Ron flinched.

"I'm saying that it's over Hermione…I…I'm breaking it off" he still wouldn't look at her. He'd stood awkwardly as she'd sat in shock trying to absorb the info and then turned to leave,

"well…bye" he'd muttered and dashed out of the common room as if he had an enraged hippogriff on his heels.

That had been four hours ago. Directly after her mind had processed his words, Hermione had risen slowly and had calmly and silently walked far away from the tower. She walked all the way to the dungeons and found the most secluded spot upon which she had burst into quiet but hysterical sobs.

The tears had subsided and she was left puffy faced, red eyed, and raw throated.

"Granger? What the bloody hell are you doing down here?" a familiar voice questioned from above her. Hermione looked up into Pansy Parkinson's face.

"Sobbing hysterically and pathetically over my recent relationship related botch up, what have you to do in this fine dank hall?" Hermione said bitterly. Pansy slid into Hermione's niche and sat next to her,

"So…the Weasel broke it off eh?" she said, Hermione looked at her, wanting to be mad but having neither the energy nor a legitimate reason. There was no malice in Pansy's words.

"Yeah…no real reason to either. Just up and said 'well Hermione, it's been great, let's call it a day and bloody well move on shall we?' out of nowhere!" Hermione sighed deeply. Pansy snorted,

"Nowhere? Granger, have you been paying any sort of attention at all?" Hermione's head whipped around so fast it was in danger of twisting off,

"What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes and giving Pansy a pensive look. The Slytherin gave a short, mirthless bark of laughter,

"Listen Granger, don't be too upset at this, but your man Weasel has been snogging that Lavender slag on the side for a month!"

Hermione gasped. All that time? He'd sat next to her, held her, kissed her. In the past month she'd finally gotten up the courage to let him see her in only her undergarments! She'd put herself through the torment and embarrassment of buying sexy lingerie when she didn't know anything about it! And while she'd put herself through all that he'd been sneaking around bonking Lavender Brown in empty broom closets!

"Bastard" she croaked miserably

"Arse" Pansy agreed.

"No good dirty shite eating whoremonger!" Hermione cried,

"Disgusting freckly feck-for-brains!" Pansy spat, laughing.

"Tarty, skirt chasing flobberworm! He's got a mouth the size of England and…"

"His mickey's really small!" Hermione and Pansy cried in unison, laughing wildly.

"That was fun…" Hermione said after they'd calmed down. Pansy nodded in agreement and reached over to wipe a stray tear from Hermione's cheek. Suddenly they were very close, their noses almost touching. Hermione sucked in a breath and felt something in the vicinity of her heart give a flutter,

"Alright Granger…I've got to run. Draco's probably done with your man Potter and he'll want to sigh and moan about this and that and he can't very well tell Blaise now can he?" Pansy stood and looked back down at Hermione,

"And now more of this crying business. If the tosser thinks that Lavender, who's had half of Hogwarts inside her frilly knickers, is worth more of his time than you, then more diseases for his prick and more choices for you!" the other girl began to walk off but Hermione called out to her,

"Pansy!" she said. The Slytherin turned,

"It's Hermione!" Pansy looked confused,

"Have the tears made you daft?" she said. Hermione only smiled,

"My name you tart! It's Hermione, not Granger. Remember it" Hermione waved from her niche and Pansy smirked,

"Alright then Hermione. I'll see you" she said, and left to find Draco.

Behind her in the deserted corridor, tucked away in her niche, Hermione Granger was re-experiencing Love.

**For Eliora who wanted a pairing I didn't plan to write into this fic. You wish is (sort of) granted. Now onto the actual fic!**

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* * *

**

For the whole day, Severus had not looked once his way. They'd been in the same room for most of the time and the Potions Master hadn't even glanced in his general direction. Even in the modest sized potions classroom, Snape always managed to be wherever he was not. Remus Lupin was a frustrated man.

After the debacle in the showers, he'd woken up in Severus' rooms, still naked and alone. Severus, it seemed, had gone out early in the morning to make a visit to someone. That was all the info he'd been able to get from Dumbledore who he'd asked offhandedly during Lunch.

Lupin was aware that the situation between himself and his newfound lifetime love was not a good one. He'd molested the poor man in a bathroom and passed out on him! Then, said man had disappeared for an entire day and by the time Remus next saw him, they were teaching and Snape was ignoring his very existence.

"What a stubborn man" Lupin sighed quietly, gazing fixedly at Severus' back as he lectured a class of first years. There was no time for the Potions Master to ignore him, the full moon approached and Lupin would be driven like a mad man to mate. He didn't want to go any further than he had in the baths without Snape's express permission (and desire).

"Class dismissed" Severus said and snapped his lesson book shut. The first years filed out of the room and Severus began to pack his things rapidly. He moved to open the door and exit but a hand slammed against it and stopped him.

"Lupin…if you would please remove your hand from the door, I would like to straighten myself out before dinner" Snape said calmly, not turning to look at the werewolf.

"I'll be happy to let you run off and hide some more Severus, but after I've explained" Remus stepped away slightly from his position directly behind Snape and extended his free hand to one of the desks in the class.

"I don't suppose you'll let this go hm?" Severus asked. Remus smiled toothily

"Nope. And don't think of trying to run, I'll follow you and I'm faster, then I'll have to carry you bridal style back to this room in front of all your students, most disturbing."

Severus scowled and went to sit at a desk. He leaned forward and rested his chin on his hands.

"Well, go on" he drawled. Remus stood but did not move from in front of the door.

"First, I'd like to apologize for molesting you in the bath. It wasn't my intention to lose control like that" Severus raised an eyebrow but inclined his head to let Remus know he wasn't too terribly peeved, the werewolf shrugged _'wasn't expecting a verbal response anyway' _he thought.

"Ahem, well, I do suppose you're a bit confused about this whole thing. I guess I'll explain this. You see, a couple hundred years ago Werewolves, as you might know, were forbidden to procreate with fellow werewolves. All females were magically made sterile and, with people starting to hunt and kill werewolves for sport well…the population began to die out. As you know, a species will always want to look out for themselves, especially if it is going to become extinct. Some of the more intelligent werewolves began to experiment so they could fix the problem of our dwindling numbers. It was a man by the name of Peter Donahue who came up with a spell that would give male wolves the ability to…well…impregnate beings other than females."

Severus sighed,

"Lupin, I fail to see how this has anything to do with you groping me in a bath" he said. Remus rolled his eyes,

"I was getting to it. Anyway, this spell had a certain side effect. Those with the ability could only mate with one other person. This person was almost always a male and almost always a normal wizard or witch, not one who had been turned. In addition, the offspring would be born fully human. Because of the less than satisfactory results, the spell stopped being performed and the whole experiment faded into the motley background noise of history. But there was a random mutation which brings us to our situation today. The spell had another, unanticipated, side affect. It mutated the genes of the offspring and, if turned, they would carry the ability to impregnate just as their parent did this is the same for a person bitten by a werewolf with the spell. Also, they too would have the one mate. It seems that the werewolf who bit me was one of the rare spell bearers." Snape frowned,

"If all this is true, then why haven't you realized it up until now?" he said slowly. Remus leaned against the door,

"Well, at first I thought that, because I went through so much during the years, the pull I felt for you might have been ignored in favor of other things. Another factor may have been that, in my foolish youth, the pull I felt for your could have been mistaken for enmity. Then I noticed that, since I've been taking the new version of Wolfsbane, my transformations have been less painful…more natural, I haven't felt weak and tired, and my werewolf senses have been sharper even when the full moon isn't anywhere near."

Snape sighed and put his head down on the desk.

"Merlin" he breathed. Remus walked over to him,

"Look Severus, I don't hate you" he said. The Potions Master lifted his head and gave Remus a blank look. The man ran a hand through his hair,

"I'm saying that I don't hate you, never have in fact. You might not believe it but it's the truth. I'm saying this because, no matter what you think of the situation, it's happening. Around the same time Harry and Draco go into mating season, the full moon will come and I will be driven by the need to mate. It's been getting stronger with each transformation. I'm telling you this as a forewarning Severus, I won't be able to control myself. Right now I can smell you…my wolf senses are telling me to take you, consent or not. You're everywhere in this castle, I can smell your scent everywhere I go and it's driving me insane. So, before the full moon comes, you and I must think of something,"

Snape scowled,

"You don't like me…I don't like you, how do you expect us to be able to…fornicate?" he spat. Remus grinned again, showing all of his teeth,

"That's a lie and you know it" he murmured right next to Snape's ear. The Potions Master shivered involuntarily and tried to will the impending blush from his face. Remus smirked,

"See? You and I like each other well enough…maybe even more. That's good enough for now. One needs not be in love to have a relationship. But…" Remus looked Severus straight in the eye and lifted his hand to the pale man's face

"Eventually I **will **make you love me. And I will love you, with all my being" he stood and brushed imaginary wrinkles from his clothes.

"Well Severus, think on it for a while. You don't have to have sex with me, I might explode from sexual tension by then though," he chuckled and stretched.

Severus Snape watched as the shirt rode up on Remus J. Lupin's body. He watched as a strip of tantalizing tan skin was revealed. He gulped as he suddenly felt that same overwhelming sensation from the night before his him square in the gut.

Yes. The attraction was there (most definitely), but could he go through with having sex? Or even doing anything vaguely related to it?

"Well, I'll see you Severus, I'm off to mpgh?" Remus was cut off by Severus who had gotten up suddenly and kissed him mid-sentence.

The stern Potions Master raised himself slightly and fisted his hands in the fabric of Remus' shirt on his shoulders. He pressed his body into the slightly startled one of the werewolf and used Remus' shocked expression to plunge his tongue inside.

It took a moment but Remus began to kiss back, tangling one hand in the hair and using the other to draw the slim Potions Master closer.

They broke apart and took deep breaths then, almost immediately, Remus began dropping small kisses on Severus' neck. He kissed up and along the curve of the shell of Severus' ear,

"ahn, Lupin…Lupin stop!" Severus moaned, embarrassed with his noises but also really not wanting the werewolf to stop at all.

"Ah, you smell so good" Remus breathed but pulled away (though with much difficulty).

"Alright Lupin, here is what we shall do." Snape took his teaching stance,

"I have decided, with the aid of our…demonstration just now, that I can bring myself to…to engage in sexual activity with you. But not right away. You have just over a week and I am a very busy man so use your time wisely, but you have just over a week to…_accustom _me to you so that the actual act won't be uncomfortable. Then on the full moon, you can have me as you wish. Are we in agreement?" Severus put out his hand for Remus to shake; instead the werewolf grabbed it and held on. He smirked and pulled Severus to him,

"Yeah, that's a bargain. Now…I do believe I have some…_accustoming _to do" and before Severus could say anything else, Remus' mouth was covering his and all rational thought decided to desert him.

* * *

It was humiliating, having to go to disgusting _muggle _stores to buy food so he could survive. Wearing the tasteless muggle clothes (if they could even be called that) and getting strange looks from the country bumpkins who populated the small muggle village where he got his necessities. 

"Mummy, I want the candies! I want the candies! I want them! I want them! I WANT THE CANDIES MUMMY! I WANT THEM!" Lucius restrained himself from hexing the screaming child to Hades and back. Muggles were so lax with their children!

Suddenly a hysteric bout of sobs came from the aisle next to him.

"Mum! Mum! It's a bug! Ewwwwww! MUM! Get it awaaaayyyy!" Lucius rolled his eyes, bloody muggle children!

"Janet, squash the bloody thing so she stops screaming" a man's tired voice said. Lucius was about to move on towards the eggs when a woman, he assumed it was the mother, spoke up,

"No Bill, she needs to get over it! It's a bloody insect! If she sees what she's scared of, she'll get used to it and stop making such a bloody fuss!" Lucius stopped dead in his tracks. The muggle woman, Janet or whatever her name was, had a point. Perhaps if Draco was faced with the thing he feared and saw that it wasn't as scary as he'd thought, he'd get over the ridiculous phobia and they could move on.

'_Severus **did **say that he had no problem with the Potter boy fondling him…it must be his unconscious fear of the act that's stopping him!' _Lucius smirked.

"Muggles _are _good for something" he murmured and strode purposefully to the dairy aisle; intent on finishing his shopping and contacting Severus before the week was out.

* * *

Lily: WOAH! Solutions, solutions! It came to me in a flash! Ba-BOOM! Like that! Was the reason about the mates and whatnot understandable? I hope so! Anyway, I'm sure some of you can see where this is all leading (yes…sex), everything's coming together nicely. Anyway, tell me what y'all think! The next chapter is on it's way!

But finals are coming up so for the next 2 weeks I am going to be more scarse than a ghost. vhish me luck!


	21. Unexpected and unplanned

Lily: well…thanks all for les reviews. Buuut…y'all seem to have mistaken my Hermione/Pansy insert for the actual fic. Sorry to confuse you (I thought I made it kind of clear…I must not have) but the Hermione Pansy thing in the last chapter was kind of like a "present" for Eliora who reviewed saying she really wanted it to happen. It wasn't part of the actual fic 3. Sorry for those of you who liked it.

More Snupin, some other stuff…heavy petting in hallways. That sort of thing. ON to the fic!

Exactly twelve hours after making **The Arrangement **(as he'd so sarcastically dubbed it) Severus Snape was already a swarming mass of frazzled (and sexually frustrated) nerves. Lupin had given him all of two hours after making their arrangement before he had taken any and every opportunity to grope, fondle, and snog Snape to within an inch of his life.

"Bloody werewolf" Snape muttered, heading to his rooms (the only place he got privacy) after an early breakfast in the kitchens. He had actual work to get done, important work that could not be delayed because he needed to get off.

"Silver Bullet" he spat venomously at his portrait and the woman in it looked miffed before she swung open for him.

Once inside he flung off his clothing, leaving it in an uncharacteristic mess about the room.

"_Accio _Seeing Eye" he barked, and a small gilt framed mirror flew into his hand. He scowled at it,

"_O Sainted Elves from whom ye were born_

_Awaken from thy dusty rest_

_Pass power from thy fingertips_

_And unto this glass invest_

_This unworthy soul begs thee"_

He finished the incantation and watched the surface of the mirror ripple and then contort.

"Draco Malfoy" he said to it and the shapeless swirls of color began to move until they formed Draco's familiar features. Snape looked very closely. Good. The boy was still asleep.

"Now I can see how to go about fixing that fear of his,"

Sighing deeply, Snape removed his clothing and sank into a comfortable position on his couch.

"Here we go" he mumbled to himself and closed his eyes.

_He was in that place again, surrounded by the scent he knew now as Harry's. He looked around, hoping to find someone to tell him why he was there._

"_Again we meet Little Dragon" he spun around to face a familiar beautiful face,_

"_You're Hiathos aren't you?" he said slowly, hoping he'd remembered the name right. The man smiled and sat in a chair that had appeared from nowhere,_

"_Little Dragon, there isn't much time left. What troubles you so that you must reject the touch of the one you love?" Draco frowned and averted his eyes from the mesmerizing ones of the man before him,_

"_I…I'm not sure. I don't have any problem when he kisses me, but once I feel his…his, um…" _

"_male parts?" Hiathos offered generously, Draco blushed._

"_Yes…once I feel it, I get so scared. I think it's because of being kidnapped and molested when I was younger." Hiathos nodded and appeared to be deep in thought. _

"_Young One, have you thought that maybe it is not your trauma from that incident that is preventing you from completing your bond, but your own fear of the act itself? Have you any doubts as to your ability? Are you afraid of it hurting? Do you wonder if he'll love you even after you give to him your virginity?" Draco's eyes widened as the idea sunk in. _

_His shock must have been apparent because Hiathos allowed a small smile to slip onto his lips. _

"_Child, there is nothing to fear. Your mate truly loves you; he will not care whether or not you can do this or that with your body. He will also be exceedingly gentle; of course it will still hurt a little, but everything good requires a little pain somewhere." He gently placed a hand on Draco's shoulder._

"_But…what about if he doesn't love me after we…after we complete the bond?" Draco sounded a little insecure but Hiathos only smiled,_

"_And how could he stop? He stayed with you though he could not make love to you. He stayed with you knowing the dangers to himself and yourself, he loves you more than someone who would leave after sex could. Do not forget Little Dragon, you are bestowing upon him your most precious and safeguarded treasure, he is not likely to leave you." _

_Draco smiled,_

"_Thank you Hiathos. I think…I think that when mating season comes, I will be ready for him. To receive him with all my body and all my heart" Hiathos stepped back and smiled, the image began to fade,_

"_Then all is as it should be my Child." _

Remus Lupin stalked down the narrow corridors leading to a certain cranky potions master's rooms. He'd had his tongue down the man's throat most of last night and his hands underneath his prim, stiff clothes most of breakfast that morning. But he'd never been allowed to go as far as he wanted to go. And so he'd walked around since breakfast having to recast a disillusionment charm on himself so no one could see his straining erection. But the worst part of it all was that Snape, crafty arse that he was, didn't appear ruffled or frustrated at all.

"Damn!" Lupin swore, thinking of Snape gave him a nasty combination of arousal and absolute fury. The wolf in him was gagging to discipline its unruly mate (with hours of unrestrained, sweaty sex on his desk), and because the full moon was a mere week away Lupin was finding it harder and harder to deny his…other half.

"Severus!" He called, entering the man's rooms unceremoniously.

The first thing that caught his eye was the slightly rumpled white shirt that lay on the ground a few feet to his left. This, followed by a familiar pair of dark trousers, one dark boot, and finally the infamous black robe, led a trail to the slightly ajar door to Severus' room.

Something was wrong with the picture. Ever since their school days, Remus had known Severus to be an absolute maniac about cleanliness. What were his clothes doing strewn about his chambers like they were?

"Severus?" he called the man's name and crept further into the room, careful not to be too loud in case the situation was volatile (as magical ones tended to be).

A groan from the room alerted Remus to the potions master's location and probable bad condition. At the pained noise his werewolf instincts took over and he dashed into the room.

"SEVERUS!"

He felt an unusual amount of warmth surrounding him. He wasn't used to being so very warm but it was nice and felt safe, and he rarely ever felt safe. He allowed himself to smile; after all, he was asleep in his room where no one could see him. All he had to do was relax and snuggle into that heat, feel it wrap tighter around him, listen to the soft _thump, thump _of that heart…beat?

"GAH!" he woke up suddenly and tried to sit up but found someone's arm firmly around him. He was not wearing anything save his underpants and neither was the person lying so very close to him. What the hell had happened?

He'd come into his room, performed the dream Occlumency, and then…and then what?

"_Severus…_" the person, positively identified as male from the telltale morning "surprise" pressing against Severus' thigh, groaned in his sleep. Severus looked down and nearly groaned himself when he noted the familiar head of hair, it was Remus.

'_What in the name of Salazar's forked tongue is he doing in my bed?' _Severus scowled at the peacefully sleeping man and then a though occurred to him,

'_Wait a minute…Lupin is here in my bed, I am barely clothed and neither is he…I **am **somewhat sore…we didn't…WE DIDN'T **have sex**…did we?' _Severus looked down at Remus again. From what he knew of it, sex with men was initially painful, he didn't see any scratch marks on the man though. He shifted around in his place and heaved a relieved sigh. There was no unusual wet spot and he was sore about the neck and shoulders and not the bum and lower back.

'_Well, I didn't sleep with him, so what is he doing here?' _what had happened last night after he'd finished the dream? He'd finished persuading Draco and had had to extricate himself from the tangle of Draco's mind. Perhaps it had taken too much of his strength (already low due to all the things he'd been doing) and he had passed out. That would account for the soreness as he'd been in a horribly uncomfortable position. Assuming all of this was true then that meant Remus had come in and taken him to the bed. But then…why the lack of clothing?

"Oh…you woke up" Severus turned and sent Remus, who had just woken up, a suspicious glare

"An astute observation Lupin, you would make quite the detective," he snapped. The werewolf only raised an eyebrow; it wasn't that much of a surprise that Snape was cranky _all _the time.

"Yes, unfortunately I am quite sure the Ministry doesn't allow werewolves into their flat-footing ranks so I'll content myself with teaching or _assisting _for now. Anyway, all snarky banter aside, how are you?" Snape's already narrow eyes became suspicious slits at this question,

"What do you mean Lupin?" he said. The werewolf gave him an incredulous look,

"You mean you don't remember?" at Snape's blank look, Remus sighed and ran a hand through his already tousled hair,

"Ah, then waking up must have been shocking for you. I see. Well, you must have been doing something very strenuous this morning after breakfast because when I came in you had collapsed in your room. I took you to bed, no not like that, and laid you down. You were already undressed so don't give me that look, anyway, you started shivering very badly and the blankets weren't doing anything to help. I figured that a few warming charms and some body heat might do the trick so I climbed in with you. And that's about all of it"

Severus held the werewolf with the suspicious look for a moment longer before sighing and getting out of bed.

"Fine, I'll believe your story" he said, swiftly locating a white shirt on the ground and pulling it on.

"Now if you could please leave, I've to prepare my lesson plan for tomorrow." He extended an arm to the door and noticed that the sleeve of the shirt he wore was too long and much too large. It was then that he noticed the hem went below his usual mid-thigh and that the shirt smelled entirely different than his own shirts smelled.

"I _would _ leave Severus, only you seem to be wearing my shirt" Remus's cheeky grin combined with the slightly ridiculous feeling of wearing the man's oversized shirt made a furious blush appear on Severus' normally pale skin.

"Merlin's beard! Is that…are you _blushing_?" Remus came closer to the potions master and looked at the furious red color that only seemed to intensify,

"I am not you good for nothing lay about!" Severus hissed, backing away, eyes spitting fire at the advancing werewolf. Remus chuckled,

"In all my years I never thought I'd see it" he stepped closer and Severus stepped back only to hit a wall.

'_Damn…trapped like some first year Hufflepuff against s seventh year Slytherin!' _he thought.

Remus's smile was positively wicked,

"It's nice, this blush, it suits you…" uh-oh, the golden eyes were slowly appearing.

"Lupin, get a hold of yourself! Your control is slipping!" the werewolf took another step and Severus tried to make himself as flat as possible against the wall,

"I have restrained myself you know. Lying in that bed with you, unable to fall asleep because of thoughts of you, and even when sleep came I dreamt of you. It has been a short time since I became fully aware of you, but because I have restrained myself unknowingly for so long, your scent is overpowering. Every minute I am awake I think of you, holding you, kissing you, making you blush prettily as I take you. I may sound like a sex crazed savage but I want you so much I am losing my sanity."

By now Remus had pressed himself against the absolutely still potions master so the man could feel a straining hard length pressing into him. Remus dropped a kiss on Snape's partially exposed collarbone and inhaled deeply before stepping back. He stood for a moment visibly regaining control of himself and then he sighed,

"You'll be the death of me Severus…" he said. Snape stood for another minute pressed against the wall, shaking from the intensity he had just been subjected to, and then he regained composure and straightened.

"I am very sorry for your inconvenience Lupin but please, I must prepare the lesson plan. I shall have your shirt washed and pressed and I will return it to you as soon as possible."

Snape walked to his desk and began slamming open drawers and removing papers at random.

It was five minutes before he heard his door close. Remus had gone. Immediately he halted his frenzy of paper flinging and slumped to the floor. His heart was racing faster than it had in his entire life, he felt a little faint, and he couldn't stop shaking.

"Well…this was unexpected" he said.

Lily: OMG I know it was a crap ending, I'm sorry. See, we're moving like right this moment and all around me, my stuff is being piled away into a giant orange truck! Aaaugh! Well, I figured I might as well give everyone something before we leave because I have a feeling it'll be a looong time before I have internet access. Sorry if you've been waiting for some HxD action. I'm getting there! It actually would have been in this chapter had I not been so pressed for time that I had to do this as we were moving. Ah! Mou! I'm so tired! Finals, then packing, then moving. OMAN! Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy this…I'll pick it up ASAP, wish me lukc moving and all! TX here I come sigh


	22. Overcome

Lily…Wow…it's been over a year since I last updated! Lots of things have changed, with me, with fanfiction, with Harry Potter. This fic, I wasn't going to finish it, I was going to leave it. But I thought of the people who had reviewed, even seeing I hadn't updated in well over a year, and for those people who might still be waiting for me to finish this, and so I will. It took me a while, but its here. One thing I ask anyone still reading this to remember is that I've been away for a year, the things I was thinking a year ago, even further back, they're not with me anymore. So if I hit upon some inconsistencies please point them out and I'll be sure to fix it. I thank anyone who is still with this, even after so long. Now let's get on with it…

Chapter 22: Overcome

At first, Draco didn't understand where he was, the room felt very familiar to him, as did the bed he was lying down in, but he couldn't quite place it in his memory. His mind was blurry, the feeling he always had when waking up from sleep, but something told him he wasn't awake. This should have confused him greatly but at the moment it seemed to make plenty of sense and so he let it slip from his mind. He sat up on the bed and realized for the first time that he was naked, this fact didn't embarrass him at all, in fact, a distinctly unconcerned mindset had taken hold of him. Thus he didn't wonder anymore about where he was, why he was naked, or who was in the bathroom adjoining this room.

The bathroom…something told him to go there. He slipped off the bed and walked across the familiar feeling carpet to the equally familiar looking bathroom to encounter a fully naked Harry Potter who was drying off from what Draco assumed was a shower. The Gryffindor sent Draco a dazzling smile; he didn't seem bothered by their mutual nakedness. Draco felt as though he should worry about the fact that they were both naked, in a room, alone, but he wasn't and that was that. Should he be doing something? He stared at the scene before him and decided he should be doing something, but what? Brush his teeth, yes, brushing sounded practical. But there was no toothbrush near the sink; he didn't see one or a place one would be kept. Okay, brushing was out of the question. Then what was there to do while naked with Harry Potter?

_Kiss_

Kiss Harry, yes, kissing sounded practical. He started forward but then stopped, practical? No, not practical, very far from it when both were naked. It was at this point that the careless feeling that had enveloped him on the bed cleared. It was like having cotton removed from his ears, like suddenly everything was clearer. His nakedness in front of Harry who was also naked (but had, thankfully, yet to turn around), the fact that he didn't quite know where they were, the things that his mind had let slip earlier suddenly came rushing back to him. He turned to run out of the bathroom but found Harry in front of him, somehow moved from where Draco had been staring at him a few seconds before.

"_Draco…" _that tone of voice meant one thing with Harry and Draco knew it. He blushed bright red and tried to push past the Gryffindor to the room. Harry was having none of that and instead grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him close,

"_I want you" he_ whispered into Draco's ear. His lips kissed their way down Draco's neck, to his bare shoulder. One hand was splayed across the small of his back and was creeping slowly downwards. Draco was embarrassed but could feel the arousal pooling in his stomach, pumping blood to his…_private place_.

"N-no, we can't…not here" Draco panted out, a last protest. His will to resist Harry's ministrations was low all of a sudden. Where he feared going further than a certain point before, he craved more and more now; Harry's mouth was smiling against his skin, his hands dancing ever lower.

"_I want you…I want you no matter what…" _Harry was whispering again, his lips made Draco's skin tingle. He was fully aroused now, wanting nothing more than…than…

_Harry_

And suddenly Draco knew what he wanted; felt something inside him open up, a gaping hole inside him which he knew was meant for Harry to fill. (1)

The room around them suddenly distorted and Harry leaned in to kiss Draco long and hard, stirring the blonde up more, his body was on fire.

_Harry…Harry…Harry_

"Harry!"

Draco blinked. He was awake. He looked around and saw that it was in his own room in his own bed he laid. He sighed and flopped back down, suddenly he sat back up and whipped the covers off himself and looked in horror at the wet spot in his pajama pants. Suddenly the distinctly sticky feeling of wet clothes against skin became apparent to his shocked mind. He stared around his familiar room and felt the rush of blood to his cheeks, heating them up and turning them scarlet. He, Draco Malfoy, had just had his very first wet dream…about Harry Potter.

* * *

Harry Potter sensed something more out of the ordinary than usual was taking place in the gorgeous blonde head of his Slytherin boyfriend. He wasn't just being overly suspicious either; he felt that he was highly justified in his speculation. Harry felt he had enough experience with Draco to know when the blonde was behaving strangely, turning bright red and running away from him whenever the two met was _definitely _"behaving strangely" in Harry's books. Now all that was left was deciphering said behavior and hoping it didn't mean something bad for him or for Draco.

As Harry spent the day wondering about Draco, Draco spent the day trying not to think of Harry. After that morning's…_dream fiasco_ he hadn't been able to look at anyone in the eye for at least an hour, afraid that they would look into his eyes and immediately know about his "little problem". Even now, at lunch time several hours later, thinking of it now made him blush hotly, seeing Harry, the object of his dream actions, only intensified his embarrassment.

He knew people had dreams of "that nature", Blaise had them so often it was a Slytherin legend, but he himself had never experienced one. He had thought before that it was because he had never found anyone attractive enough to but he knew now it was because he was a Veela and no one could have the kind of effect on him that would provoke…_sexual fantasy_. He knew Harry was getting upset, but how could he face the Gryffindor after imagining doing something so _naughty _with him?

"Sickle for your thoughts?" a voice behind him caused Draco to jump. He was sitting alone in the library, contemplating his situation, he hadn't told anyone where he would be and was shocked to turn around and see Pansy smirking at him. He groaned and dropped his head into his hands,

"Pansy, don't just sneak up on people like that" he said. He heard Pansy sit down next to him,

"So?" she said, he looked at her,

"So what?" he countered, confused. Pansy sighed in exasperation,

"So, are you going to tell me why you've been running away from everyone, especially Harry, all day?" she asked, giving him The Look.

The Look was Pansy's equivalent of puppy dog eyes except that it wasn't a cutesy begging expression, it was more along the lines of 'tell me or suffer the consequences which won't be nice'. Draco sighed, there was no point in evading Pansy, she would get it out of him sooner or later.

"Ok, I'll tell you, but if you repeat this to _anyone _then I will kill you" he whispered. Pansy smiled,

"When have I ever told anyone anything of importance?" she said and Draco had to admit that she was right. His squared his shoulders and leaned in close to her,

"Well…"

* * *

Severus Snape felt distinctly hassled. He was crouched over a stack of Ravenclaw papers on…what were they on again? Oh Merlin, now he was becoming senile. He scowled even more than he had been already and abandoned the papers as a lost cause for the moment. It was lunchtime but he didn't feel hungry and, loathe though he was to admit it, he was avoiding Remus Lupin. He had never felt the need to avoid anyone really in his adult life; he had always thought he had enough maturity or bravery to face others when they presented a problem to anything involving him. But there he was, actively avoiding the werewolf by hiding away in his rooms during lunch. He was thankful Lupin had decided not to attend classes that day; Snape didn't think he could have concentrated through his classes with the werewolf hovering around his peripheral vision.

It was frustrating for Severus, a man not used to being frustrated, to be so affected by another person. The previous night, when Lupin had left him alone, Snape had been unable to concentrate on anything. He had tried, in vain, to go over his lesson plans like he said he would, but every time he tried to focus on the classroom he saw Remus Lupin. Not only did he see the werewolf, he saw him behaving in a way that was most…unsuited to the classroom. Not only had that embarrassed Severus no end, it had made it almost impossible to teach. Severus had found that, as he tried to explain the many uses of a bezoar to a group of first years, his mind would wander and the next thing he knew he would be remembering his fantasy.

Thinking of a naked werewolf atop the potions desks made it very (very) difficult to teach.

But Severus had more important things to be thinking of than his incredibly adolescent obsession with Remus Lupin. He looked at his watch, he had thirty minutes until lunch was over, he could do it. He rose from his chair and went into his room

"_accio _Seeing Eye" he muttered, already feeling tired. Using the blasted thing always sucked out his energy which is why he made sure to use it at night but he couldn't afford to wait that long. Things were drawing to a close, he could feel it. Severus slipped out of his robes and sat on the couch, making sure he was comfortable.

He said the incantation and peered into the shiny surface feeling the rest of the world drop away as he did. The Seeing Eye was a dark magic item used to look into and influence people's dreams. One could even look into another's thoughts using it. Severus had been entrusted with it by Lucius (it was a Malfoy family heirloom of course), he was to make as good use of it as he could. And he had been putting it to good use; his made up Veela, Hiathos, had been a major factor in furthering the plan.

Within the swirling confines of the mirror, Severus saw Draco in the library sitting with Pansy Parkinson. They were whispering about something. He immersed himself more, he needed to see Draco's thoughts.

Snape had specifically been given the Seeing Eye because he was closest to Draco, it would be easier for Draco's unconscious Self to allow Snape's presence into its mind. Getting into Draco's thoughts and dreams were much easier for Snape than it would be for Lucius who, though he was the boy's father, was not closer to him than the potions master.

Snape frowned in his trance. Draco's mind was a muddle, he was distressed about something. What had happened? He tried to sort out the thoughts and came upon the central memory that seemed to be the cause of Draco's upset state. Snape saw the memory in Draco's mind where it seemed to be repeating over and over again, plaguing the young Slytherin.

For a minute he didn't know what was going on in the dream, and then it hit him. He quickly closed himself from the memory. In all his years Severus Snape had never been in a more awkward situation. He knew now that, not only was he going to have trouble facing Remus, but also Harry and Draco, both of which he had just seen naked. He hurriedly withdrew himself from Draco's mind.

He came to himself again slumped sideways on the couch, he looked at his watch, ten more minutes left until he had to face his next class, he thanked Merlin it wasn't his advanced potions class.

He was in the process of buttoning up his shirt when the door opened, Snape's head snapped up and he met the dark golden eyes of a very dangerous looking Remus Lupin.

"Severus" he said, though it was more of a growl. His eyes flicked to Severus' chest which was exposed by the open shirt.

"What do you want Lupin" Snape said feeling suddenly wary. Remus took a step towards him; the werewolf seemed to be having a difficult time with something.

"Lupin, if you don't need anything I have a class to attend to" Snape said, eager to escape the room very quickly. The aura radiating from Lupin felt very dangerous. He finished buttoning himself up and shrugged on his black robes; he gathered his teaching supplies and swept out of the room. His shoulder grazed Lupin's arm as he exited the door. He breathed a sigh of relied once outside and began to walk towards the potions classroom.

The next thing he knew he was slammed against the wall, his teaching things fallen to the ground, and a pair of blazing golden eyes looking straight into his eyes.

"Lupin! Lupin what do you think you're doing!?" Severus cried, struggling against the werewolf's iron grasp.

"Do you think I'm a fool Severus, or somebody who can be played around with?" the werewolf growled, eyes boring into Snape's own.

"Oh, obviously not you Lupin" Snape spat "obviously you're not someone to be trifled with, so much so that you can skip a whole day of work and not even think a thing about it!" he had to keep his composure. He had to stay as much of his normal self as possible or he was in danger of being swallowed whole by Lupin's glaring golden eyes.

Severus was startled when Remus began to laugh. It was a harsh sound that held no humor in it.

"Do you think I was lazing about my room today? Do you think I was off by myself having a good time?" Remus asked and though his mouth was crooked in a half smile, his eyes were glinting. Severus refused to be intimidated,

"Well, you obviously weren't in class, doing your **job**" he said, ignoring the waver in his voice. The look Remus was giving him was unreadable.

"Do you know why I wasn't there today Severus?" his voice was low as he spoke the question, suddenly the atmosphere around them seemed to change, become more charged, Severus found he could not speak. Remus' hands slid down from his arms where they had been holding him but Severus didn't notice; Remus had leaned in and placed a tiny kiss on the smooth junction of Severus' neck and shoulder. He kissed his way down the expanse of skin left exposed and when he ran out, he casually, effortlessly, ripped the shirt off.

"It's six days away from the full moon and I've finally found you, the things I've been suppressing for years are just barely under my control, can you understand that Severus?" and Severus could see in the eerie gold of the werewolf's eyes and in the tenseness of his body that he was barely holding himself back. He nodded, still robbed of his speech,

"Then you should no already Severus, why I kept away from the classroom, from you. You should know what I would do to you in that cramped potions room where your smell is everywhere. You should know not to avoid me in private, so I can release just a small amount of this tension." Through his little speech, Remus' hands had traveled down and now rested on Severus' buttocks, the potions master willed himself not to blush at the intimate contact. Remus smiled, though it was more of a smirk,

"See what you do to me Severus? You can't avoid me anymore, it only makes me do things like this…" he kissed Severus then, "or this…" another kiss, his hands were pressing them together so that Remus' arousal was an unmistakable shape, hard against Severus' stomach.

When they finally pulled apart, flushed and panting, Remus smirked again and turned to walk away,

"I'll see you tonight" he said. It was not a question, it was a statement. One Snape knew, though it hadn't happened yet, would be true.

* * *

Pansy couldn't believe what she'd just seen. She couldn't believe the sequence of events that had just played out before her very eyes. All she had set out to do was miss a bit of her boring History of Magic class by taking a long walk to the girls' loos before class started. On her way back she had heard voices from one of the dungeon corridors and, in favor of wasting even more time, followed them. She hadn't been shocked to see Professor Snape and Assistant Professor Lupin in what seemed to be a heated argument. Of course Lupin, being the bigger of the two, seemed to have the upper hand. She _had _been shocked when Professor Lupin had begun to kiss the potions master who reacted in a way that suggested that this was not the first time he had had such things done to him by the werewolf.

Pansy had watched, entranced, as the scene heated up. By the end of their little encounter she was red in the face, and not entirely out of embarrassment. The bell rang, signaling the start of class, and she stood up and ran as quietly as she could from the corridor and into the class where Draco looked at her strangely.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked as they took their seats. Pansy fanned herself and looked at Draco, _'he's already had a lot of shock, why add anymore? He'll find out eventually' _she thought.

"Just…just ran a bit to get here on time. You know how I love Goblin Wars" she said cheerfully.

Draco just gave her a skeptical look and turned towards the front for the lesson.

* * *

Lucius sat in a dingy room surrounded by books. He hadn't bothered to clean the place using magic, he only needed it for the books and the energy he would expend cleaning such a place would be put into good use elsewhere. He sat in the middle of a circle of books stacked as high as his hip in three layers. All around the oddly organized circle, piles of books sprouted up from the floor, as if Lucius' spot was a clearing amidst a forest. The books acted as a sort of buffer so the room was unusually quiet, Lucius could hear nothing but his own breathing and the turning of the pages in his book.

He wasn't spending his time in hiding idling away. The books he had managed to extract from the destroyed remnants of the house's library had proved most useful; he sent a silent thank you to the wizards who once owned the place. He turned another page in the book and his eyes lit upon an interesting paragraph. Intrigued, he read it:

"…_said that there are two things of extreme importance to Veela. Of course their mate is one and takes top priority, but that is before a child is conceived. The second thing Veela consider important is family, especially the young. When the dominant Veela's mate is with child, that Veela will stop at nothing to protect them. The powerful link forged between a mated pair grows even stronger in the Dominant and lends him a mysterious power that can be tapped in the case of emergency. It is unknown where this power source originates from, it is said that it is the Dominant's own Life reserve energy which would explain why this power can be accessed only in the direst of dire situations. Dark Wizards of the past have tried to tap this power in Dominants as sources for near indestructible power. Some have succeeded in invoking it but none have succeeded in harnessing it. The closest any wizard has gotten to that power was in the Dark Lord De Monte of France who captured a breeding submissive and threatened her life and that of the baby if the dominant refused to fight for him. He got the dominant to fight but continued to pressure him, sending him sounds of his mate's cries and finally threatening to kill her if the battle was not won within five minutes. The dominant, under these circumstances, was provoked into unleashing his power but De Monte did not know the full extent of its destructive force and was killed, along with the submissive, in the blast. Some say that the power of the Veela is the most powerful force in magical beings and perhaps it is, but there are reasons it is left as the absolute last resort"_

Lucius frowned at the article. The book was an obscure one, written in plain language but clearly old. He knew all about the power formed between mates in a Veela bond, it was the objective of the entire plot. But this was where Lucius began to doubt. His wife, Severus, his sisters-in law, they had all placed faith in the fact that the Potter boy could win against the Dark Lord. That after he had the power of the bond he would be able to defeat one of the most powerful wizards of their time. Lucius doubted it, even if it had been in that Veela prophecy. He had no faith in the ramblings of old seer women. What this book was telling him seemed to boost their chances up higher; it seemed to add a little more credibility to the whole story. Lucius nodded, the gears in his head already turning, if Potter managed not to get himself killed using this "Veela Power" then it was the best bet to defeating the Dark Lord they had. Of course, he hated throwing an innocent child into the equation. There was always danger when a baby was involved, but he supposed it couldn't be helped. One more thing to add to the Boy-Who-Lived's repertoire of defenses and powers couldn't hurt them.

* * *

The last few days of the week passed slowly. Remus grew more and more tense as the days went by and had taken to sleeping in Severus' bed to keep a small amount of sanity through the day. He had told Severus that it wouldn't usually be this bad, he just had years of it pent up inside him and it was ready to explode. Severus grew tense along with the werewolf though not because of the impending full moon. His problem lay in the marks the werewolf had put all over him whenever he got the chance. He worried that a student or a teacher would spot one on his neck or wherever else the werewolf managed to place them. His worry grew with the days as Remus marked him more and more, high on his neck. He thanked Merlin for concealing charms but was nervous, should a charm fade (and one could not place too powerful a charm on one's own body, the results were often catastrophic), then anyone could easily see and identify any of the multiple marks Remus left on him.

Harry had, at last, gotten Draco to talk to him but the blonde was jumpy and nervous all the time. Harry asked him over and over what was wrong, what was happening, was he alright? But Draco would never tell Harry about that dream and thus replied every time that it was nothing. Harry, of course, didn't believe him and his worry and frustration grew as the week went by.

It was in this way that the end of the month arrived.

On the day before the full moon, Remus didn't leave his room. He stayed in his bed, battling the wolf inside him, already calling for the flesh of its mate. He felt each minute slip by, a countdown to nightfall. He waited. Severus had given him the Wolfsbane potion to drink earlier. Now it was all a matter of it Severus came to him that night, or if he was to be left in the worst agony he had felt in his life. The agony any magical creature, magical being, felt when denied by the one meant for them. He turned his head and looked outside.

The sun was setting. It had begun.

TBC

Lily: ah, this is a very small amount to begin with. Not everything I wanted to happen happened in this chapter, but I'm letting it fold out on its own. I never thought I'd be able to crank one of these out again, but my mind has been restless since I stopped writing, I haven't been able to really complete anything else either. I think this baby has been calling me to finish it "ummaaaaaa….ummaaaaaa" hahaha. I've already outlined everything that should be happening soon, the end of this story is very close I think.

Um…I'd like to give a very deep apology for staying away for so long. I often came back to it during the year, but inspiration never struck, or I just couldn't do it. I'm so so sorry that I was irresponsible enough to leave this kid for a year and I hope some people would like to stay with me and finish it.

Look out for the next chapter!


	23. The Full Moon

Lily: woa, took me a while to put this up ey? Sorry, end of summer term exams and projects and lots of crazy things I've been doing (toootally not playing around on my new tablet! Nope!). Okaaay what should I tell you all about this chapter? Well first off there will be the first full blown smex in the entire fic! hooraaaay throws confetti. Well, it isn't really my first time writing smut, but it's my first for this fic which is my baby and so I am nervous. I hope y'all will like it. Anyway, I'm sure people want to get to reading the actual fic and not my crazy people ranting.

Enjoy!

* * *

In years to come Severus Snape could honestly never clearly tell anyone what he had been doing or thinking the day before the full moon. The entire day passed like a blur and he felt as dead to the world around him as someone in a coma. His body was on autopilot, teaching classes and interacting with people but his mind was somewhere else. His mind was in a dungeon room locked and spelled heavily against intrusion, with the struggling Werewolf who was chained to a bed. His mind was with Remus Lupin. 

What would it mean to give his body to the man? Snape asked himself this question thousands of times as the day passed. Could he let someone else have control of him like Lupin had been doing? Could he let go even a small part of the control he had built of himself? The hard won iron grip he had on his body and his mind that he had endured countless sufferings to keep, could he give over even a little bit to someone else?

Snape's mind picked over these questions. He turned them over and over in his mind and watched with dread the sun sinking behind the horizon and the sky becoming darker.

Could he let someone in where no one had been allowed in so long?

The sky outside his window was completely dark, stars studded the darkness like twinkling jewels on the blackest of velvet. It was a beautiful clear night, quiet but for the stirrings of tiny insects. Even the beasts of the Forbidden Forest were silent, almost as if waiting for something to happen.

* * *

Within Hogwarts castle the atmosphere was heavy and taught. Even those who had no idea what was going on felt on edge, an inexplicable tension weighing on them. Dumbledore paced his office, twirling his wand between his long bony fingers and sending worried glances outside at the glowing moon. McGonagall sat in her study turning the pages of a book she wasn't really reading and unconsciously straining her ears for the sound of a wandering student or a sudden attack, something to happen that would break the strange pressure that had been building all day.

Snape paced in his rooms.

He paced as he had been doing for the past four hours, lost in a storm of worries and thoughts that ate at his every nerve. His hair fell in sweaty hanks around his flushed face, he wrung his hands nervously and tugged at the collar of his starched white shirt which felt as if it was choking him. It was dark now, though the room he was in had no windows he could tell. He also knew that the full moon was looming above him in the sky, a brightly glowing orb that threw its milky light down on the world below; a moon that would turn Remus Lupin into a crazed werewolf within minutes. Severus felt bile rise in his throat at the thought of Lupin chained to his bed, fighting the change within him, having faith in Snape to come to him when he needed him the most.

"Can I…" Snape murmured, biting his lower lip and running a hand through his hair. The minute hand on the grandfather clock moved to the eleven and Snape felt himself wind up tighter. The stress and tension of the day that had built up inside him surged higher now, filling him up until he could burst from the pressure.

_Do you hate him Severus?_

Snape squeezed his eyes shut as the familiar question invaded his thoughts.

No, he did not hate Remus Lupin.

_Does he disgust you Severus?_

Again, no.

_Is he desirable to you Severus?_

Snape felt heat rush to his face but answered himself honestly.

Yes. He found Remus Lupin incredibly desirable.

_Then you know what you must do_

Even so, Snape held back. He held back because he did not know if he could give himself to Remus Lupin, become such a key part in someone else's life and allow someone else to become such in his own. Desire was one thing, there was no doubt that he wanted Lupin, but his life was entirely another.

The minute hand hit the twelve and the clock began to chime, at the same time the castle clock began its slow deep gong. The clock chimed twice before a long anguished howl could be heard from within the castle.

Severus froze.

It was the cry of a werewolf, Lupin had begun to transform.

Severus didn't remember what prompted him to begin running; remembered only fleetingly to close his room door as he sprinted out of it. He ran faster than he had in his life, forgetting that his hair and clothes were in disarray and he looked quite less put together than usual. He forgot his worries and his doubts, forgot his reservations and his fear, he forgot all of it and burst into Lupin's room only wondering for a split second how he was able to pass the wards on it. Severus froze for a second and took in the thrashing form on the bed, before he launched himself at it, the door clicked shut behind him.

Severus latched onto Remus' bucking torso and squeezed, it took him a minute to realize that Remus had stopped thrashing, the change had halted.

"_You came_" Severus shuddered at the gravelly almost inhuman quality to Remus' voice,

"Yes" he replied simply.

One big hand came up to grasp his chin and force him to gaze into unnaturally golden eyes,

"_You're sure about this?_" he asked and Severus hesitated before answering.

"I'm as sure as I can be for now" he said. This seemed to satisfy Lupin, the chains fell off, the magic holding them released, and Lupin's hands were on Severus' body.

"_I've been waiting so long for this_" Remus murmured and flipped them so Severus was on his back with Remus looming above him. One large hand caressed Severus' face before sliding down to rip off his shirt.

"_for you_" Remus continued and dropped a trail of kisses along the bony curve of Severus' shoulder up to the sensitive spot below his ear. His hand had made its way down to Severus' pants and was slowly unzipping them.

**(Okay I figure here is as good a place as any but if you seriously DO NOT like slash sex then I suggest you skip this until you see the ALL CLEAR. I mean, Idunno why someone would be reading this if they didn't like slash, maybe they're a masochist but that's no business of mine. If you don't want to read the smutty bits? Then just kinda, close your eyes and ignore this next chunk of the story. The rest of you? Read on!) **

Severus shivered under Remus' ministrations, breathing hard and willing himself not to make noises.

Remus had removed Severus' pants and went for the boxers, a smile that was more than a little predatory slid onto his face. Severus stopped him, flushed bright red and flustered, as un-Severus Snape as anyone in the world had seen him. Remus gave him a questioning look and Snape looked away. How could he admit that he was maybe, a little tiny bit embarrassed to be naked in front of Remus?

"Do you not want to go any further?" Remus asked, his voice ragged with arousal. Severus looked at him and knew that if he said no, Remus would let him go. He also saw Remus' arousal, straining against the fabric of his pants.

That arousal was for him, his body. Severus decided to swallow his embarrassment and reached up to slide Remus pants down. The werewolf smirked and helped him remove the garment and before long they were both naked.

It was Severus' first time seeing Remus' manhood up close. It was thicker than his, long and heavy looking. It sprung forth from a nest of curls, sandy blonde and exactly the same shade as those on Remus' head. Already sticky precum leaked from its tip, Severus stared in fascination at this. He leaned forward and stuck his tongue out, licking a little bead of the fluid which slid down from the slit. Remus gasped and Severus looked up and saw that the werewolf's eyes were squeezed shut. He smirked and slid his whole tongue down the length of Remus' member. He was rewarded with another gasp from Remus who was clenching the bed sheet with white knuckled hands. Severus studied the organ and decided it wouldn't be easy to have it in his mouth at all but he got on his knees anyway and hesitated only briefly before taking the head between his lips.

It tasted…salty…quite like the skin of someone who has recently been sweating. It was hot and heavy in his mouth. Above him, Remus was breathing hard and murmuring nonsensical things, one hand was tangled in Severus's hair. Severus heard Remus murmur something that sounded vaguely like a spell and then he felt it.

A cool finger probing at his entrance. He gasped in surprise and stopped his ministrations to look up at Remus. The werewolf chuckled at his shocked expression

"_It's just preparation, so it won't hurt later_" he said. Snape relaxed and went back to what he had been doing. The finger inside him was uncomfortable at first but he got used to it, another finger was added in and then another. The uncomfortable sensation that he had felt at first turned to incredible pleasure and soon he was thrusting back against the fingers, moaning around Remus' arousal in his mouth. Suddenly Remus removed his fingers and Severus, to his mortification, whined in protest. The other man chuckled and moved, his manhood slid out of Severus' mouth. Snape was once again on his back, he looked up a Remus who smiled down at him,

"_Last chance to run away from me, are you sure you want this?_" Snape felt a warmth spread in his chest. Even though the man as obviously aroused he was offering him a chance to get away, to escape. Snape spread his legs for Remus and looked into the werewolf's eyes,

"I don't think, Remus, that there's anything I'd quite want more" he said. Remus smirked and, one hand on his member, the other gripping Severus' hip, eased himself inside Snape's entrance.

He could say it was painful, but that wouldn't quite do it justice. The sensation he experienced was something that was pain but also was not. Remus felt enormous inside his body which was unused to such an intrusion. He instinctually clenched against it, his body rebelling the presence forcing its way inside of it. He clenched his teeth and slid his hands up to grip Remus' shoulders.

"_Are you alright?_" the werewolf asked. Severus tried to speak but it came out a groan. The pain he felt was transforming. It was a sort of pleasure-pain.

"_Should I stop?_" Remus asked, worried but also fighting the desire that threatened to overwhelm him. Severus shook his head, he wanted Remus to continue. Lupin still hesitated and frustrated, Snape said the one thing that he'd never in his life thought he'd find himself saying,

"Remus," he panted, fighting the embarrassment that was turning his cheeks even pinker,

"**I want you inside me**"

Everything seemed to freeze for a minute. Remus looked so shocked it was as if someone had told him the world was ending or that Dumbledore didn't really like lemon drops. And then it was over, the shocked expression of Remus' face was replaced by amusement and arousal.

"That has to be the sexiest if not most unexpected thing I've ever heard you say Severus" he growled and pulled back, almost until he was completely out of Severus' body. Thinking he was going to stop anyway, Snape opened his mouth. But whatever he was going to say was cut off by a moan as Remus snapped his hips forward and drove himself deep into Severus' body.

In the time it had taken to convince Lupin to continue, Severus' body had gotten used to Remus' member, the pain had all but disappeared and now all that remained was the intense pleasure.

Remus thrust steadily into him, hard and deep, one hand was braced against the headboard and the other was busy stroking Severus' own manhood. The combination was driving him insane and he thought he couldn't possibly feel more pleasure until Remus angled his thrust differently and hit something inside him that made Severus' forget not to make noise. He screamed. Remus smirked and did it again and Severus felt as though he would break from the pleasure.

"Wh-what in bloody hell?" he gasped, Remus continued to thrust,

"_That_" he grunted, "_Was your prostate_" and he thrust against that spot again and made Severus see stars.

Soon the pleasure was too much and Severus felt Remus speed up. His breath was coming in short gasps now. The pleasure coiled deep in the pit of his stomach winding tighter and tighter and he knew he wouldn't last very long. Remus pulled Severus tight against his body and thrust harder. When he climaxed he let out a long low moan. Severus felt the rush of Remus' hot seed spilling inside him and he felt as though something inside him snapped. He came gasping, biting his lip so hard it bled.

A while later Severus opened his eyes. He didn't really remember passing out but didn't feel the need to be alarmed because he was right where he had been in the last moments of his memory. One of Remus' arms was curled around his waist, a hand splayed possessively against Severus' stomach. The other arm seemed to be what Severus had been using as a pillow. At some point Remus had pulled out of him so they could lie down comfortably, now Severus felt the werewolf's member pressed against his back, already hard again.

"Again?" he said and Remus chuckled,

"_So I'm caught_" he said. Snape rolled his eyes and turned over to look at the werewolf.

"You should keep better control over that thing" he remarked. Remus only laughed and kissed him.

"_Would you like it if I did that Severus?_" he asked when he had pulled back. Severus played with the idea of saying 'yes'. Instead he slid his arms around Remus' neck and leaned in,

"Absolutely not" he said and leaned in for a kiss.

* * *

**(ALL CLEAR! At this point most of this chapter is lost to anyone who skipped, but hey, that's all right, I've met many a person who is more than a little weirded out by this type of thing. So yeah, if you haven't read that whole mess above and have skipped to the not-dirty part, this is pretty much it! You might want to read the next bit…kind of a little bit important. ALL CLEAR!)**

His skin was perfectly tan, stretched taught over muscles that were currently straining to lift a heavy bag full of books. His wild black hair curled sexily against his face and contrasted starkly with the white collar of his school shirt at the nape of his neck. He had wide capable looking shoulders and big strong hands and a smile that could dazzle even the most stoic people. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Harry Potter was a prime male specimen. This was excruciatingly obvious to Draco Malfoy who endured the cow eyes everyone seemed to stare at Harry with but also being in very close contact with said attractive male and noticing every single thing that made him sex on legs.

It wasn't that he hadn't noticed that Harry was above average looking before; it was hard to miss with someone like Harry Potter. Draco's own perception of the Gryffindor had been changed with The Dream he had had, it seemed to have turned everything Harry said or did into innuendo.

"Draco, are you coming?" Harry asked and Draco snapped out of his reverie. Blushing, he picked up his own schoolbag and got up from his chair.

The couple had been in the Room of Requirement studying and hadn't realized the time had passed so quickly. It had been Harry who had looked at his watch and noted that they were out far beyond the curfew and while Draco was a prefect and immune to that rule, Harry was not and could get in quite a bit of trouble if the wrong people happened along his trek back to Gryffindor Tower. He had stopped what had been, for Draco, a rather unproductive study session. The blonde's mind had been on other things.

It had been on the way Harry's muscles moved when he stretched, or how nice and smooth his skin looked. He found himself becoming aroused the more he watched the unaware Gryffindor and the more aroused he became the less he paid attention. Draco himself didn't really notice the fact that he was drifting but Harry noticed. Draco had been acting so strangely since the beginning of the week. Getting flustered or nervous when Harry was around, avoiding him in the halls, averting his eyes when they spoke, it was all the behavior of someone who had a very big and very distressing secret. If Harry didn't know any better, he'd say Draco was cheating on him with someone else. But since that wasn't possible, Harry was left with nothing but growing frustration and worry as the days went by and Draco didn't explain his behavior and only became even stranger.

"So I was thinking, mating season is actually pretty much here isn't it? What're we going to do? I thought that maybe I'd go away until it's over, maybe that'd be easier on you if I wasn't around. What do you think Draco? Draco?" Harry looked at the blonde and groaned when he saw that, once again, he was not paying any attention.

'_This can't go on' _Harry thought and grabbed Draco's hand. The Slytherin yelped in surprise as Harry dragged him into an old classroom and shut the door behind them. He looked up into Harry's green eyes and saw anger, frustration, and worry in them.

"Draco," Harry said "What's been going on?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Harry" Draco replied, unable to look into those eyes. He felt a blush rising to his cheeks as memories of his dream surfaced unbidden in his mind.

"Draco, you've been acting so strangely this week. You've been avoiding me, you can't look me in the eye, you get nervous and frustrated when I'm around. Is it something I did?" Harry sounded desperate and sad and this made Draco feel sad. He took a step towards Harry and opened his mouth to speak. A powerful scent hit his nostrils and suddenly his vision went red around the edges.

"Draco?" Harry's voice echoed to him as if coming from the end of a long tunnel. He saw Harry's frantic face before his legs gave out and he began to fall. He was stopped by a pair of strong arms, Harry's strong arms. He smiled dreamily, Harry was like a prince on a white horse, always saving people. Did that make Draco his damsel in distress? This idea was endlessly hilarious and Draco giggled.

"Draco!? Draco what's wrong!?" Harry was shouting, Draco frowned, it wasn't good for Harry to shout. He lifted his finger to Harry's lips,

"sssh, s'okay" he slurred. Suddenly the room felt hot. Too hot. He tugged at the collar of his shirt. He felt hot, hotter than he'd ever felt in his life He was burning up.

"Draco!" Harry cried again.

"Hot" Draco croaked and then slipped into blissful unconsciousness.

TBC

* * *

Lily: WOW! It's DONE! Well…um…What can I say, I am feeling rather proud of myself. I managed to bang this one out between the hospital, summer work, and other miscellaneous tasks. Um, I tried really hard on the smut, I don't know how it came out, all I know is that I skimped on the foreplay and maybe ran around a bit on shyness and boldness on Snape's part but all-in-all I must say I'm kind of happy I managed it. It was a learning experience, bottom!snape is quite the thing to play with, how does one fit all that snark into a mewling "take-me-please" bottom? One does not, one turns the bottom into the snarky scowling Snape everyone knows and loves. Snape is a difficult guy, thinking up all his Snarkasm (note: Snark plus Sarcasm…Snarkasm) yeah. But anyway, I hope somebody liked it, it was a bit on the difficult side to write. I'll try harder for the H/D scene which, I might warn you, is coming right up…I mean seriously, it's almost finally here (applause). Um but, this is the second chapter I've written since my miraculous return from the dead and I'd just like to say one ginormous thank you to the reviewers. Whenever I read your reviews I feel so happy! You're my motivation, inspiration, and sustenance in times of extremely low energy to go on. Thanks so much to those old readers who're still reading now, thanks to the new readers who're with me in this newest leg of the story, and for the readers ahead (possibly) who might like this story as much as I like writing it. Thanks so very much! Now it's off to sleep. 


	24. Beginning Stages

Lily: Oh my goodness it's been a while hasn't it? Ehhehehe, I have an excuse! College started…aaaand I started a webcomic…aaaaand fooled around a bit too much with photoshop and deviantart aaaah forgeeve meee!. Anyway y'all, here's the next chapter, brought to you by M-flo's INCREDIBLE album Astromantic, go listen to it, it's amazeeeeen! Seriously….it rocks so hard. Ahem. Also, the Soulmate kdrama soundtrack, it's excellent, I'd never heard of Basement Jaxx before this and now…well…let's just say its been remedied. Anyhow, those were the musical inspiration. Also about the werewolf thing and the no transform, sorry guys, I'll be explaining that soon so LOOKOUT! Well, enough of my author-y waffling, I'm sure y'all just skip over this part anyway. Hrm. Yeah, you guys might hate me a little at the end of this chapter, sorry, I promise I'll update again quickly afterwards.

Enjoyez-vous

* * *

_Mating season is a time in the Veela year that is of great importance. Many don't quite understand the need to have a specific time for fornication (which is basically what others see mating season as), but there is indeed a special reason behind it. _

_As mentioned before, Veela rarely bear more than one child at a time, while this is nothing out of the ordinary for other species even wizards, Veela are different in that their fertility levels are much lower. A Veela couple can go through their lifetime only producing one child, even with the fertility boost mating season brings on, Veela find it very difficult to reproduce. The Veela mating season is a slowly inherited preservation mechanism that developed in the generations after the Veela Acquisition movement of 1481 when the Veela species was especially low and Veela needed to reproduce to keep the race alive. Of course there is the random change of usual Veela mating patterns (as in, where Veela were usually only mated with other Veela there started to be those mated with wizards and witches) to take into consideration, but this is a mystery as no one quite knows how Veela mates are chosen or why. _

_Aside from reproduction reasons, there really isn't much to mating season. It is not a time of wild abandon and animalistic intercourse as many wizards theorize. There is, of course, sex involved in it however._

_The mechanics of the mating season Process are quite simple. In a dominant Veela their senses will usually become heightened and especially attuned to their mate. Their body temperature will rise and they will become very fatigued as their body burns energy faster to produce higher potency "seed". Usually a dominant will sleep an entire day before their mating season truly "begins". _

_A submissive Veela goes through something similar. Usually the increase in body temperature is greater in the submissive as the body readies itself to receive its mate. In a submissive Veela, the Star Sac is a semi-permeable membranous structure which holds the genetic materiel. In a submissive it is much like the ovaries where the "eggs" are held. Those "eggs" though, unlike human female eggs, can be "blank" or hold nothing in them to reproduce. This is one reason Veela find it so hard to reproduce, in one particular collection of the Veela genetic materiel perhaps seventy five percent is made up of blanks. During mating season the amount of materiel in a submissive will drastically increase to reduce the chance that their mate's own genetic materiel will find a blank. _

_Aside from the increase in body temperature, Veela also experience great discomfort, not so much pain but a sort of incessant nagging sensation much like an itch they can't scratch. This will usually cause fidgeting and the like. This discomfort will persist and grow if the Veela does not mate, this is also a protection mechanism made to urge Veela to do as their body tells them. As mating season is a built in body function made to keep the race alive, the Veela body and magic have evolved to make it nearly inescapable. There do exist, however, wizard made potions potent enough to stop unwanted pregnancies._

_See potions section 8._

* * *

He had run back to Gryffindor Tower with Draco in his arms, he spared a silent thank you to The Powers That Be for the fact that he was a wizard and could shrink their belongings and make them lightweight so he could run.

The Fat Lady had given him strange looks ad started asking questions when he had run up to the portrait and gasped out the password. He had to admit he'd been a little less than polite in his hurry to enter the Tower and get Hermione.

It was late so Harry knew no one would be loitering around the common room, so there was no one to see him burst in with an unconscious Draco Malfoy in his arms. All these strokes of good luck slipped through Harry's mind as he gently laid Draco in the couch and looked worriedly at Hermione who he'd called down from her room.

"I'm suddenly feeling some strong deja-vu Harry" Hermione said and Harry might have laughed, as it was indeed the second time they were in such a situation, but he was too worried.

"Well, let's take a look at him shall we?" Hermione knelt next to the couch and peered closely at Draco's face.

"…we were walking back from studying and he suddenly started acting strange, he giggle 'Mione, _giggled_, Draco doesn't giggle…**ever**. Then all he said was that he was hot before he passed out!" Harry wrung his hands and looked worriedly at Draco's paler than usual skin,

"hmmm, this might be another Veela thing Harry. He seems to be breathing fine, he's just…you know, passed out" Hermione put her hand to his forehead and found that it felt normal if a little sweaty,

"he doesn't feel like he's heating up. He's just a little sweaty. I must admit Harry, this has got me a little stumped" Hermione rose from her knees and straightened her night gown.

"I'd say you should just take him to bed and sleep next to him, worrying yourself to exhaustion won't help you and he'll be right next to you. He might be just fine in the morning, if not, we can take him to Madame Pomfrey. Alright?"

Harry knew she was right and nodded. He picked Draco up and bid Hermione goodnight before turning and trudging up the stairs to bed.

* * *

When Draco woke up, he felt as if he just got up from doing something extremely strenuous, his whole body seemed to pulse with a dull pain. His abdomen was especially sore. He got up gingerly and looked around knowing before he processed Ron's snores in the background or the maroon bed curtains that he was in Harry's bed in Gryffindor Tower. He looked down and saw Harry leaning against the edge of the bed asleep. Draco felt his heart squeeze when he saw that he was still wearing the clothes he'd had on last night. It was quite obvious that he'd stayed up to watch Draco.

'_What did I do to deserve someone so great…' _he wondered before slowly getting out of bed. He pulled on his shirt (blushing a little as he imagined Harry taking it off him the night before) and was slipping into his shoes when he heard Harry stir and wake up. He looked over at the Gryffindor,

"Morning" he said and Harry turned to look at him,

"I see you're feeling better" he mumbled, still emerging from sleep,

"Yeah I suppose" Harry rose and stretched, Draco's eyes were drawn to the sliver of tanned firm skin that showed briefly as his shirt rode up,

"Are you sure you're alright? I mean, you _did _pass out. You want to go to Pomfrey?" Draco ripped his eyes away from Harry's abs,

"No! If I go to Pomfrey everyone will know and then they'll all start freaking out. One minute all I did was pass out, the next I barely escaped death by a mysterious sickness. I'm fine Harry, really" Harry walked over to him, dropped a kiss on his forehead, and ruffled his hair

"that's good then. You might want to get back to your common room before everyone wakes up so there's no awkward questions you know we can't answer" he said.

"You're lucky it's morning and my hair is already messed up or you would've died just now" Draco said, smoothing his hair. Harry just laughed.

* * *

Severus had awoken that morning warmer than usual and incredibly comfortable. He was nuzzled in Lupin's arms, their legs tangled together. He smirked as he felt Lupin erect against him.

"Beast" he murmured to himself and was shocked when he heard Lupin speak,

"ah, but you didn't seem to mind last night Severus" he turned to look at the other man who appeared to still be sleeping, eyes closed. The only thing that gave him away was the slight smirk on his lips.

"I don't think I would have minded a hippogriff if it turned the room to rubble around us last night Remus" Severus said and started to get up but was pulled back by Lupin who pinned him to the bed with and grinned down at him,

"Well, I don't have a Hippogriff to set loose to test that but I'm sure it won't be too much of a problem" he said. Severus rolled his eyes,

"Don't be corny Lupin, if you want to have sex then just say it" he said. Remus' smile widened and he leaned in,

"_I want to have sex with you" _he whispered, so close to Severus' ear that he could feel every breath. Severus shivered and, as Remus placed small kisses along his neck, he couldn't help but agree.

* * *

Though Draco had told Harry he was fine, in truth he didn't feel all that great. He was more tired than usual and felt a little out of it. The ache in his body had subsided into something more bearable but it still taxed him to go up and down stairs. As the day wore on, the pain in his body vanished completely and the ache in his abdomen had turned into an odd feeling heat. His tiredness persisted but grew less. This would have made Draco happy if what replaced that tiredness hadn't been a constant, maddening, nagging feeling.

He felt jittery, like there was something crawling along his skin that he couldn't see. It was the restless jumpy awareness one has just after finding an insect unexpectedly on their body. It was like nervousness only not. And it was causing Draco an increasing amount of discomfort. He also found that he couldn't sit still, that something about the feeling he was experience made it absolutely impossible to sit in one place. Even years of training in manners couldn't ground him and he spent every class in mounting embarrassment, the peak of which was during Transfiguration when McGonagall had asked him in the middle of her lecture if he needed to use the toilet, squirming.

He told his friends he had fallen down hard on his bum and that sitting was incredibly painful. It was embarrassing but he couldn't think of another excuse and that one stopped their curious looks and that worked fine for him.

* * *

"Severus my boy, you look quite refreshed today! May I ask what event brought about this absolutely glowing aura in you" Dumbledore commented immediately when Severus limped into the teacher's room during a break. He shot a dark look at the old man who simply continued to smile in that obnoxiously sunny oblivious way he did,

"I've changed my brand of morning tea Albus" he said before slowly sitting on the softest chair in the room.

He'd spent the entire day walking slowly and gingerly so he didn't worsen the pain he was experiencing. He reminded himself again to go up to Madame Pomfrey and get some pain potion.

"Ah tea is it? I wonder if you and Remus share that brand" Dumbledore laughed at Severus' shocked expression, "well you see, Remus has been going around all day with the most euphoric expression on his face. I do say he looks quite healthy for it being just after the full moon. I daresay I've never seen him looking more…ah now what is the word I would use? Ah, yes, _glowing_" Severus relaxed into his chair and scowled.

Of course bloody Remus looked happy, he'd barely stopped smiling all day. Through class he'd been smiling so much the students had all asked him if anything good had happened. Severus, on the other hand, had decided to never let the werewolf lay a hand on him ever again. If it was always this painful after they did it then Remus could keep his paws to himself.

"Well Severus, I have some matters to attend to, I will see you at dinner" Albus said, and swept out of the room, still smiling. Snape watched him go before settling down to think as he'd originally come to the teacher's room to do.

The full moon had come upon them, they were in the beginning of a new month. This meant that mating season was set to begin any time soon. He knew that, at the moment, there was nothing more he could do to help. He hoped that Draco's dream he had (unfortunately) witnessed, was a sign that the boy was ready for what needed to happen. The bond between the two would be complete once Draco was ready to make that step but, unlike if this had been happening under normal circumstances, they couldn't wait for Draco to take a long time to be ready. Snape somewhat regretted having to interfere in their romance but was glad they had gone along with it naturally. Now that there was nothing left to do but sit and wait, Snape felt not unlike a parent watching their child go off to take a particularly important test.

The bell rang and Snape sighed and got up. Three more classes and then it was time for dinner and he could rest.

* * *

By dinnertime, Draco was nearly out of his mind. The feeling that had begun as a mildly annoying sensation was now a maddening almost _presence _in his body. He couldn't focus and eating and even if he could he didn't have even a hint of an appetite. His eyes shifted restlessly around the Great Hall, he felt like he should be looking for something or some_one_. Pansy told him to stop acting so skittish and he tried desperately to contain his urge to squirm and managed to appear calmed down enough to deflect any more attention. But his eyes still moved among the students, glancing at one with dark hair and feeling as if he was on the edge of remembering something very important that would stop the discomfort he'd been living with all day. But that feeling went away quickly and Draco moved on not quite knowing what he searched for but knowing he should be able to find it in the Great Hall.

"Oooh Draco, there's your man. Looking quite good today is he?" Pansy said teasingly. Draco whipped around to look over at Gryffindor table. The second his eyes found Harry the feeling that had plagued him all day abated to a more bearable level, it decreased even further when Harry looked at him and smiled. He smiled back and started to get up before his rational side reminded him that he couldn't go over to Harry no matter how much he seemed to need to. He could wait until Harry finished eating and then he could go over. He turned back around and suddenly his appetite returned, he began to eat, satisfied with his plan of action.

* * *

Snape had been in the middle of studiously ignoring the suggestive looks Lupin was sending him down the table when his eyes had been caught by Draco Malfoy acting up at the Slytherin table. Usually the antics of the students at meals didn't concern him but since it was so close to mating season, Snape felt that Draco's behavior was especially suspicious. He hadn't been very focused through the day, too preoccupied with hiding the extreme discomfort he had been feeling, so he had paid little attention to what the students did in class. As he watched Draco now, twisting and shifting in his seat, he thought back to potions and remembered Pansy Parkinson whispering something to Draco during class and that the blonde boy had appeared highly uncomfortable. He hadn't thought of it as Pansy usually told Draco embarrassing or appalling things that could cause a certain level of discomfort but he realized now that he had probably been fidgeting as he was now and Pansy had told him to stop.

He didn't have time to curse his negligence so he focused on watching Draco who was currently scanning the tables of the Great Hall looking irritated. Pansy spoke to him and he stopped squirming a little but continued to look around. Then Potter walked in and Draco saw him, his expression immediately changed, he visibly relaxed and stopped moving around. Snape experienced a moment of fear as Draco seemed to start rising to go to Harry but calmed when the Slytherin stayed seated. Draco openly going to Harry might ruin the plans Snape had helped to lay and that would destroy their plan, that couldn't happen. The shock had banished his appetite from him so Snape spent the rest of the meal subtly watching Draco. He saw the blonde's eyes follow Harry as he got up and left the Great Hall. He saw Draco excuse himself and leave as well. He too excused himself and slipped out, silently following Draco who followed Harry.

They ended up at the library, in the farthest corner. Snape watched them from behind a bookshelf.

* * *

Harry had been looking at more Veela books when he'd heard Draco approach. He'd intended to read some more in the books that couldn't' be checked out of the library hoping to find some clues as to Draco's mysterious fainting episode the previous night. He hadn't been at it for too long when Draco appeared.

"Harry…" Draco purred. Immediately Harry knew something was strange. Draco never purred. Even stranger was the glazed look in Draco's eyes as he advanced on Harry.

"Hey Draco…what're you doing here?" he said cautiously, Draco didn't seem to hear him, instead, he continued to advance until he was right up against Harry. Anyone who came upon them that moment would find the scene somewhat funny. The big tall Gryffindor Harry Potter was backed up against a bookshelf by the petite Slytherin Draco Malfoy.

"Draco?" Harry said, now completely sure that there was something strange going on. Again Draco didn't answer him, instead, he stepped in closer so that they were pressed entirely together and Harry could feel, even through their clothes, that Draco was incredibly hot.

"Draco, you're burning up!" he exclaimed. Draco let out a low moan and slid his arms around Harry's neck, leaning his head against Harry's chest.

That moan went straight to Harry's groin and he clenched his fingers into a fist and willed himself to ignore it.

"I knew it, something's wrong with you Draco, let's go to Pomfrey" he said. Draco shook his head and pressed even closer to Harry so the heat that seemed to radiate off his body warmed Harry through their clothes.

"Draco!" Harry disentangled himself from the blonde and held him away to look into his eyes. Draco's eyes were unfocused and glazed and his face was flushed, he also seemed to be glowing slightly. Harry felt himself drawn to abandon all reason and do what he'd wanted to do for what felt like forever but he regained control and realized that this was the power of Draco's allure at its full strength.

"What's going on Draco!?" he asked and Draco smiled up at him before he abruptly passed out. Harry stumbled to support Draco's sudden weight. He hoisted Draco's limp body into his arms and looked down on his serene face,

"What's going on…" he asked again softly.

"Isn't it obvious Potter?" Harry's head snapped up and he looked into Snape's black eyes.

"Professor! I didn't do anything to him, we were just talking and he just passed ou.." Snape cut him off with a wave of his hand,

"quiet Potter, I know you haven't done anything. Don't look so upset Potter this, believe it or not, is nothing out of the ordinary for mating season"

Harry froze

"M-m-mating…" he stuttered, Snape sighed,

"honestly Potter, you didn't know? This is the beginning of Mating season."

If Harry hadn't been holding Draco he probably would have fainted.

* * *

Lily: (dodges tomatoes) okay okay okay I'M SORRY! No sex. I swear this fic is almost like watching a kdrama, you have to wait FOREVER for action. But there's a REASON! (not that…you know…it's a really cruddy reason). Ok but, I just, didn't want to put them right next to each other. I mean, Remus and Lupin just did it, so I didn't want this chapter to be Draco and Harry. I know. My logic is stupid. Also, I'm practicing more for Draco and Harry, I've written it before but this fic…this fic is my BABY!!! So I want it to be kinda good. For that purpose, LOVE NOVELS!!!! No I'm joking…ish. I'm kinda just playing it out in my head, we'll see how it goes.

Thanks to all you lovely reviewers, you're seriously the reason I go on. You'll all be blessed with cookies at some point (wiggly fingers). Anyway, it's off to do webcomic things…or homework (ha!)


	25. Bond

Lily: Omg you guys, I'm actually really excited to write this, so I updated really fast! Are y'all happy? I'm happy, especially since I kinda dicked you guys over with the last chapter. Well my good friends who I love very much, I'm proud to say that we're upon a climactic (no pun intended…_really_) moment in the story. We've been together through a lot and….and I'm just so glad y'all hung in til now. Hoo-rah! Well, that's enough of that being sentimental (and waffling on and on about this and that).

Enjoyez-vouz

* * *

The Room of Requirement never disappointed Harry, whatever he needed, even those things he wasn't conscious of, it provided. Even after all his years in magic he still found it amazing that a room could know all a man wanted and provide it. All he'd asked for was a place he could put Draco to let him rest and the Room had produced a magnificent bed piled with pillows and with sheets and a comforter with thread counts he was sure Draco would approve of (he probably would have just gone with regular cotton sheets). When he'd entered the Room he'd been amazed, it had even provided a comfortable chair next to the bed for Harry to sit in and wait. When Draco was settled on the bed, Harry sat and took out his books, intending to catch up on some reading while he waited.

Ten minutes later he had abandoned the books and instead sat watching Draco as he lay, still unconscious, on the bed. His green eyes moved over the face that had become beloved to him. Saw the pale flawless skin, the delicate, sharp features, and the long light lashes. He was, even under women's standards, beautiful. No doubt the product of the Veela genes in him. These thoughts led Harry inevitably to the issue which was essentially the core of everything that had happened recently; Draco's Veela blood and the fact that finally, if unexpectedly, mating season was upon them.

Harry sighed. Truthfully, he was worried. Not that he wasn't glad that Draco's random fainting spells were natural and not the signs of something seriously wrong but it was like two sides of a coin; on one side there was good news, Draco's not being ill, but on the other there were still some serious problems surrounding mating season that Harry wasn't sure were resolved. His main focus was on Draco's fear, that gripping, debilitating fear that took over him whenever they went too far. Harry knew they had made so much progress, that now Draco was comfortable with him, but that comfort might not extend enough to allow them to perform the kind of thing that mating season entailed. Harry wanted Draco, more than he had ever wanted any person in his life. But that didn't mean he wanted to force Draco past his limits, mating season or not. He hoped that his body's natural urge to mate didn't force Draco into doing something he didn't want to either. Above all, Harry didn't want to hurt Draco. He groaned and ran a hand through his unruly hair thinking back on the conversation he had had with Snape earlier in the library…

**Flashback**

"_M-m-mating?" he stuttered. Snape sighed,_

"_honestly Potter, you didn't know? This is the beginning of mating season." when Harry continued to stare blankly at Snape he rolled his eyes and sighed as if in great pain._

"_Mr. Potter, do you ever take it upon yourself to pick up a few books for purposes other than class?" he looked again at Harry's blank face "no, I suppose not. Well, no matter. In any case what I just said is the truth. Mr. Malfoy's body has just completed the preparatory stages of mating season. Now it's truly begun" _

_Harry seemed to snap out of his shock induced stupor, he blinked several times and looked as if he was having a difficult time processing the situation. Finally he looked at Snape_

"_Professor, do you mean that…that now he'll want to…you know…do--" Snape held up a hand to stop Harry's sentence and threw a disgusted look at the Gryffindor_

"_Potter, as…__**fascinating**__ as I find the topic of sexual relations, __**especially **__with my students, I shall have to ask you to use minimal detail in your questions; but to answer this one, I cannot be sure. The mating season of a Veela can commence only with the consent of the parties involved. It will not force him to do it if he is not ready" Harry nodded, relived that Draco could at least go through with it when he was ready. As he thought of this, something else occurred to him suddenly and his head shot up to look at Snape who seemed to be engrossed in studying his fingernails._

"_professor…one more question" he said and perhaps something in his voice must have sounded suspicious because Snape narrowed his eyes before nodding his head to allow him to continue. _

"_Professor…do you…do you by any chance __**know **__that Draco and I…" but again he was cut off, this time by Snape saying,_

"_fight incessantly and like children? Yes, that I do Potter. You should remember it is usually I who breaks your fights up. You should __**also **__remember, Mr. Potter, that sometimes things are better left alone and unknown than pried open, so you shouldn't go and say something unnecessary if you want both yourself and myself to keep our peace of mind." Snape's tone was semi-pleasant (about as pleasant as it ever got) but his eyes told Harry that he was absolutely serious so, for once, Harry Potter took Severus Snape's words and obeyed them. _

_Snape smirked and gathered his cloak about him, he shot Harry a contemptuous look_

"_I suggest you take Mr. Malfoy somewhere and watch him until he awakens. I doubt it will take until curfew but if it does, just for tonight, I will grant you special nighttime access to escort him back to his common room and return __**immediately **__to your own." He said. Harry smiled,_

"_Thanks Professor…" he said, Snape only raised an eyebrow, turned on his heel, and swept out of the room. _

**End Flashback**

Harry had thought of their conversation the entire way to the Room of Requirement. From the way Snape spoke, he probably knew that Harry was Draco's mate. He somehow knew about Draco's problem. He probably also knew a lot more. Harry sensed that there was a complex web of activity that was going on behind the scenes of his and Draco's romance that he didn't know about. But he also came to the conclusion that he didn't want to poke his head into things that were obviously better kept secret

He looked at his watch and groaned when he noticed that it was already nearly midnight. Ron and Hermione would be worried, he hadn't returned to the common room after dinner and it was this late.

"They're probably going mad right now" he moaned quietly.

"Who?" Harry snapped upright in his chair and turned to look at the bed where the voice had come from. He was met with Draco's gray eyes peering at him from behind his fringe of blonde hair.

* * *

Severus couldn't think straight when Remus had his mouth anywhere on his body. At the moment, Remus was in the process of undressing him, his hands and his lips made Severus completely forget his earlier resolution not to let the werewolf touch him.

"I thought…though I told you…never to touch me again!" Severus managed to pant as Remus lovingly pressed kisses up the side of his neck. The werewolf just hummed and flicked out his tongue to taste the tender skin behind Severus' ear.

The second Snape had stepped through the doors to his rooms, he had been assaulted by Remus who, it seemed, had an endless drive for sex, even outside of the full moon.

Suddenly Snape sat up, ignoring Remus' whine, he turned to the werewolf an eyed him suspiciously

"I don't know why I didn't realize or think to ask about it until now, probably because you make me forget everything. But I just thought now…why didn't you transform on the full moon?" Remus flopped down onto the bed with a sigh and flung his arm out to drag Severus down so that he was cuddled (grumpily) next to him.

"Would you have liked that Severus? Me a wolfman ravaging you?" he said playfully but sobered up at Severus' warning glare.

"Alright, well, it's another part of the story I told you. It's quite simple really, if a little on the cheesy side. As you know, the potion allowed pregnancy, it gave life, and eventually it gave happiness and love to the ones bonded by it. This is one of the random magical mutations that occur and no one quite knows why it did, but those werewolves bonded to human wizards under the spell…they stopped transforming. As long as they had their mate by their side on the full moon, their transformations would not occur. This, of course, is a magical anomaly. The wolfsbane potion still has to be taken and the symptoms of the change will appear but there was no physical change. Mostly what happens is that the 'wolf' in a werewolf emerges in their personality but not in their body." Snape looked at him,

"That's it?" he asked incredulously. Remus nodded,

"that's it"

"There's no big long story behind it?"

"none. Now if you don't mind, there was something I was doing before you interrupted me" Remus rose and shifted so that he loomed over Severus on the bed, Severus snorted

"I'd say that in you, Remus, the full moon only brings out a nymphomaniac" Remus smirked and leaned in to kiss him. When they pulled apart they were both out of breath,

"Do you mind that?" he asked.

"Cheeky bastard…" Severus muttered, but pulled him back down for another.

* * *

For a minute Harry forgot to talk and Draco only looked at him as the silence stretched on.

"who's going mad right now?" Draco asked again, breaking the silence. Harry blinked and felt as if he had just come out from being under a spell,

"Er…Ron and Hermione. It's late and I didn't turn up in the common room after dinner so…" he answered the question. Draco only smiled and watched him, unusually silent. Harry looked at him again. He was the same Draco he had been earlier, but not. Something seemed to lurk just beneath the surface of his skin that gave him a different sort of feeling. His eyes and hair seemed brighter, his skin paler, his lips redder. He seemed to exude something other than his usual charm. Harry turned away under the pretense of picking up Draco's shoes from the ground beside him.

"Here, put these on. I'll walk you back to your room" he said gruffly. Draco took the shoes, put them on, and slid off the bed

"alright then, let's go" he said.

Out in the cool dark halls, their only companions were the moonlight and the shadows. In the emptiness they were free to do as they wished. And so, as they walked to the Slytherin entrance, Harry took Draco's hand and they held hands as if they were just two normal people in love. Draco's hand felt cool in Harry's and it was soothing in a way. Harry wished he could walk like this with Draco all the time, holding his hand and showing everyone that this was the person he loved.

Draco could almost feel Harry's happiness and he too was happy. It was the simple gestures like holding hands that were sometimes beyond their allowance to do so when they did get to do them, both of them felt a certain joy. Draco today was especially happy to be there holding Harry's hand, strolling beneath the cool moonlight. He was happy to be the one next to Harry, to know that Harry's heart belonged to him. He wanted to be the one next to Harry forever, to go through life doing the things that other people in love did. He wanted to hold Harry's hand fifty years from then and know that his heart was still Draco's.

Warmth was slowly building up inside Draco's body; he felt it spread from somewhere deep inside him. It was a pleasant feeling, his heart felt light, he felt like smiling. It was happiness, because Harry was there.

And suddenly he knew. He was ready.

Draco stopped walking abruptly and Harry stopped a few steps ahead to look back and see why, He met Draco's eyes which looked over-bright in the shining moonlight.

"Draco?" he questioned, turning to face the blonde Slytherin with worry in his eyes. Draco felt his heart lurch, _I love this man, _he thought. Harry out a hand to his cheek and the other to his forehead to fee for fever, when they met with no unusual heat he frowned, wondering what could be wrong.

"Draco are you okay?" Draco smiled at him and slid his arms around Harry's neck.

"Dra…" Harry began, but was cut off by Draco's finger to his mouth. The blonde smiled at him again and took away his finger before raising himself on his toes, tipping his head up, and kissing Harry.

Just as Harry regained enough of his consciousness to kiss back, Draco withdrew and stood back. He took Harry's hand and pressed it to his heart,

"I love you" he said

"I'm ready."

(AN:…I was totally going to end it here, but I thought I might be killed so I went on. Be happy, it's past my bedtime!!! No I'm joking)

* * *

There was no question as to what Draco's words meant. Harry knew exactly what Draco was saying. This time shock didn't rob him of his words, he just didn't speak. Instead he looked into Draco's eyes. He didn't see any unwillingness, they weren't glazed, he didn't see anything to indicate that Draco was not in his right mind. The eyes that stared back at his were clear, steady, decided.

"You're sure?" he asked. Draco only nodded.

Harry pulled his hand away from Draco's chest where he could feel the blonde's heart beating quickly. He took Draco's hand once more and began to walk.

At first he didn't know where he was going. Where he _could _go to do what he knew, almost instinctively, it was the time to do. His feet just kept moving down the deserted corridors, turning corners as if at random.

If Draco found anything strange with their seemingly pointless walking, he said nothing, only held onto Harry's hand and allowed him to lead.

After seemingly endless corridors and twists and turns, Harry stopped walking. He stood before a door in a long hallway with no other doors around it. He couldn't remember ever having been in this particular hallway or having seen the door, but something told him that this was the place.

He opened the door slowly, as if expecting something to jump out from within the room, and stepped over the threshold, letting go of Draco's hand as he went. Inside, the room was done entirely in white, white carpets, white walls, and, in the center, dominating most of the room, a massive white bed. The only thing that had color in the room was the deep red sheets and covers which stood out starkly against all the white. There was nothing else in the room but the bed. Harry turned away from the bedroom scene to Draco who stood still on the other side of the door, watching Harry with unreadable eyes.

"Draco" he said, "If you come inside this room right now, I want you to know that I'm not going to let you leave. So right now, if you have any doubts, any fears, anything remaining, then you can turn around and go to your room." Draco looked back at him calmly and, without breaking his gaze, stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

"I've told you already Harry…I'm ready" he said. Harry nodded, only having needed to confirm that beyond any doubt, and stepped forward.

* * *

**(ALRIGHT y'all, here's where we get down to business. If you don't like the down and dirty then STOP RIGHT HERE! And do not read until the next chapter since pretty much the rest of this chapter is the naughty bits. So don't like? DON'T READ!!!! Though I am not very sure what anyone would still be doing reading this story if they don't like this type of thing. Anyway, the rest of you ENJOY)**

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He had witnessed before how the moonlight greatly complemented Draco's coloring. Back then in the library at that time he had thought Draco was beautiful. Now Draco was beautiful, laid on the scarlet sheets and gazing up at him, his white skin contrasting as sharply with the sheets as the whiteness of the room around them. Harry had removed every last bit of Draco's clothing, peeling it off inch by inch, slowly and without hurry. He bared the pale flesh to the open air and looked upon it like a man who had been dying of thirst would look upon water. He stroked the soft skin of Draco's arms with his fingers, softly and gently, moving as if he was trying to memorize the feel of the skin. He did this all silently, reverentially, taking in the image Draco presented as he was divested of every last thing he wore.

Beneath him, Draco gasped and squirmed, reacting to Harry's loving touches with the shyness of inexperience. He arched into those featherlike touches, wanting more and more.

Harry's fingers reached the sharp jutting bone of Draco's hip, they traveled further down his navel and encountered the fabric of his underwear, the last thing Draco wore. He took a deep breath and tugged at the fabric, he felt his heartbeat speed up as, inch by inch, the flesh of Draco's most secret place was revealed to his eyes. He continued to tug at it until finally, finally, Draco lay naked before his eyes.

The moon shone bright in the sky, seemingly full but Harry knew it to be waning. It cast bright light on Draco's skin, making it seem whiter than it usually did. Draco looked up at him and didn't look away though, by the blush tingeing his white skin pink, he was embarrassed to be looked at so intently while naked.

"What're you looking at?" he finally asked when Harry didn't move after several minutes. The Gryffindor smiled and leaned down to kiss him,

"you" he said. He leaned in for another kiss and Draco felt his hardness through the fabric of his jeans.

"It's not fair if I'm the only one naked" he murmured and Harry laughed,

"do you want to undress me?" he asked. Draco's light pink flush became a full blush and he averted his eyes but still he nodded. Harry smiled softly at him and took Draco's hands, one in each of his own. He brought them intertwined to the hem of his shirt and slowly pushed it up. Draco looked into his eyes then and continued to look until they had to pull the shirt over his head.

They repeated this process with his jeans and then came the boxers. Draco's blush worsened yet more here but he continued with the encouragement of Harry's hands and then they were off and Harry, too, was naked.

They stared at each other for a minute, taking in each others' bodies with the awe of the first time, then Harry slowly pushed Draco down.

His lips were gentle on Draco's own, and he kissed Draco thoroughly before moving from his lips to his face and dropping kisses all over it; then to his neck and his chest and back up. His hands swept up along the expanse of Draco's skin and found the small pink nipple. He teased it with his rough fingers, gently, until it was erect. Draco gasped and arched into his touch, eager to feel more of the pleasure Harry's fingers brought him.

"_Harry_" Draco moaned. The feelings welling up inside him were like what he felt when he had had his dream but so much more intense; sharper and much more overwhelming. His skin felt so sensitive, as if he could feel the ridges of Harry's fingers as they slid across him, as if every time Harry breathed he could feel the hairs on his skin move with that breath. And each and every sensation brought pleasure to Draco, stirred him up so that his pleasure spiked higher and higher until he was panting and gasping and asking Harry for more. And Harry watched him with those green eyes. He watched him as his fingers drove Draco to the brink of insanity. He watched him thrash and writhe with arousal beneath him and always, always, gave him more. Draco was sure it couldn't get any better, that he couldn't possibly _feel _any more, and then he felt Harry's mouth on him, on a place none other than himself had ever touched. He moaned long and loud. The feeling of being inside Harry's mouth, the heat and the tightness of Harry's lips around him, was beyond anything he had felt before. The pleasure that had been slowly building inside him suddenly peaked and he knew he was dangerously close to release,

"_Harry...Harry I'm going to…going to…_" he gasped, trying to warn him. But Harry just continued, smiling around Draco's length as if to say 'go ahead'. Draco came with a cry and watched half in horror and half in arousal as Harry swallowed it down. He lay back against the pillows then feeling boneless after his release, sated but knowing that Harry had not reached his own release. The Veela in him wanted to please his mate and so he got back up to kiss Harry, finding himself becoming aroused once more.

"Draco…" Harry murmured, pulling back and looking into Draco's eyes,

"we don't have to continue. , If you're not completely ready, then just this is enough for now." Draco realized the strength it took to say those words, to willingly offer to give up the thing he had been waiting so long to do. He couldn't lie and say he wasn't a little scared but he knew that he could trust Harry, that he wouldn't hurt him.

Draco shook his head and lay back. He spread his legs slightly,

"I'm ready" he said.

Harry gave him a comforting kiss at first, he then whispered a spell. At first Draco didn't know what it had done, and then he felt Harry's fingers, cool and slick, at his entrance. He gasped and tried to sit up but Harry gently brought him back down, whispering soothing words in his ear. Gradually he relaxed and Harry slowly, very slowly, slipped a finger inside him. It was a strange feeling at first but his body knew, this was his mate, his mate would not harm him. He was able to relax again and Harry added a second finger. They repeated this until Harry had three fingers inside him, scissoring them and twisting them. The slight pain that he had felt initially had gradually turned into slight discomfort .

Then the fingers were gone and Harry rose above him. His eyes held Draco's as he spread the blonde's legs and positioned his manhood at Draco's entrance.

"Draco," Harry said, "I love you"

And then he was pushing in, slowly. Draco felt him, a presence that was hotter and larger than the fingers, pressing relentlessly against his entrance. He felt himself stretching painfully around Harry's length, trying to accommodate something his body had never experienced before. He felt tears leak out the corners of his eyes and slide down into his hair and he heard Harry saying things to him, telling him he would be alright, to just relax. After what felt like an eternity Harry was fully seated inside him, and he felt as if he had been split in two.

"Does it hurt too badly?" Harry asked between panting. Draco squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, unable to talk through the pain.

"I'm sorry Draco. I'm sorry. It always hurts the worst the first time" he said.

"I'm fine…" Draco gasped "just…just wait a moment"

When the pain subsided and only discomfort remained, Draco told Harry he could move.

Despite Draco saying he was alright, Harry started off slow. He moved as if he would break the blonde Slytherin below him and asked him every few minutes if he was still alright. Draco reassured him every time, the pain was all but gone and even the discomfort was disappearing. Harry removed his hand from Draco's hip to take the blonde's hand and intertwine their fingers. He placed soft kisses on Draco's face and whispered into his ear.

_I love you. I love you. I love you_

Draco felt the beginnings of pleasure, previously banished by the pain, stirring inside him. The slow heat that made him gasp and moan Harry's name. He felt Harry's fingers wrap around his arousal and stroke him in time to his thrusts. And just as before when he asked for more, begged for it, Harry delivered.

Soon the pleasure became almost too much. Draco's world shrank, he didn't know anything but what he was feeling. Harry's callused fingers stroking him. Harry, hot and hard inside him, thrusting in and out. The slow slide of sweat on his skin. Harry's gasps and panting breaths he could feel on his skin. Harry's familiar smell enveloping him. Everything was Harry.

And suddenly Draco was at the edge, the pleasure inside him coiled so tight, built up so much that he couldn't contain it any longer. And Harry too had reached that point, their eyes met and Draco felt something run through his body

_Together_

Harry drew Draco close to his body, his thrusts grew faster.

And then the pressure broke and Draco's world went white. He opened his mouth and let out a cry, his mingled with Harry's low groan as he too reached climax. Draco felt the hot rush of Harry's seed spilling inside his body. Harry's arms around him gripped him hard, almost as if trying to take Draco into himself, to join them even more thoroughly than they already were. Draco felt himself become warm wherever he touched Harry. As he came down from his climax and collapsed against Harry he felt this heat intensify and then abruptly disappear. Suddenly he felt exhausted, drained. He allowed Harry to slide the covers over their bodies and draw him close so that he was cradled in the Gryffindor's arms.

"I love you" Harry said. Draco smiled and drew closer to him,

"I love you too" he murmured before slipping off into the oblivion of sleep.

The final seal had, at last, been completed.

* * *

Lily: OH JEEZ! IT'S DONE! I didn't really like the sex…too long. But uh…yeah…it's done. WOW! I thought there was a lot of pausing and stumbling but then I reminded myself, it's their first time, nothing really (really) fun goes on the first time. In fact, awkwardness and stumbliness is usually expected ees eet not? But, uh, yeah….here it is. I hope it was worth the wait a little. Oh jeez, quick update though, are you proud of me? Hahaha, no, it's because I wanted to see what happened too (I didn't actually know how their first mating was going to come about.). Actually did y'all know I was going to not have them do anything until the END of mating season? Jeez, how bad would that have been? Anyway, as much as I love to rant and waffle, I have class in half an hour and I have a long (long) trek over there. I thank you all again for your reviews.

Soundtrack for these chapter?

Malice Mizer Bara no Seidou

Lots of organs and gothic sounding classical things, it's an excellent album and the accompanying movie is pretty awesome for those who like vampires. Anyways, ta-ta!


	26. A Worrying Thought

Lily: Goodness it's been forever hasn't it? I bet y'all were thinking I'd up and left again huh? Well I haven't! I've just been really busy with…things lately. I mean. Between schoolwork, tests, and random day long trips to Dallas, there hasn't been much time for anything other than sleep on the side. But now that I am dead broke (curse you Applebee's!!!) and am thus unable to participate in many food forays or otherwise pricey trips to pricey places, I'm settling down and doing what a proper college student does…aside from sleep and moan about having no money. Now usually, that'd be HOMEWORK, but seeing as I currently have none (and am furiously NOT paying attention in astronomy) I decided to squeeze in this chapter. Um, thanks SO MUCH, to all of you readers who reviewed and who like this fic, you guys keep me going.

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Severus Snape was in an unusually good mood. When he woke up that morning he found that, for some inexplicable reason, a great weight had lifted from his shoulders. He disentangled himself from Remus' heavy limbs and very nearly _floated _around the room, picking up his discarded clothes and neatly folding them. Then, he donned one of Remus' oversized shirts and even considered kissing he slumbering werewolf on the cheek before deciding that, in the case the other man woke up, it'd be mortification enough to merit murder on his part. Instead he bid the werewolf the quietest of farewells and slipped out of his room, casting a notice-me-not spell on himself just in case any students happened to be, for some unknown reason, wandering around the halls which housed his and Remus' rooms.

When he reached his rooms, Severus put his clothes into the basket for the house elves to take care of and went into his bathroom to prepare for the day. First he brushed his teeth, not knowing that there was an uncharacteristically huge smile plastered on his face because he hadn't put a mirror in front of the wash-bin. Then he stepped into the shower and found inexplicable pleasure in the many (many) love bites Remus had left peppered all over his body. So good was Severus' mood that he didn't even find that thought as disturbing as he usually would.

Severus' incredible mood continued through breakfast and even through the beginning of his 6th year potions class (not that he let anyone know this). And then he laid eyes on Harry Potter whose head and eyes were doing a suspicious amount of drooping. Instantly most of Snape's good mood vanished and he found himself scowling deeply at the fool who dared sleep in his class. A black cloud of anger seemed to gather around him and he prepared to give Harry Potter the lashing of his life when his eyes caught movement on the other side of the room. The Slytherin side.

He watched with frozen fascination and horror as Draco Malfoy's blonde head did the same bobbing and abrupt rising as Harry Potter's. The awkward dance of the very tired. Snape's eyes took in the circles beneath Draco's eyes and the way his breathing slowed and then rapidly increased whenever he jerked himself awake. Then he spotted a familiar mark on the side of Draco's neck and almost reached a hand to his neck where he knew a similar mark lay (hidden of course). And he knew instantly what was going on. He took a closer look at Harry who, while attempting valiantly to write the notes Snape had assigned them, was sneaking looks across the room at Draco who would meet his eyes, blush, and look away. Snape took in the relaxed and extremely satisfied set of Harry's body which had, in recent weeks, been wound as tightly as a spring. And he knew. He knew with sudden dizzying certainty what they had done.

The bond was complete.

It was all he could do to sit still until the end of class. He was usually not an impatient man but this was huge news. The previous night when he had talked to Harry, he hadn't expected the boy to actually do anything other than take Draco to his common room. He didn't think that either of the boys were ready for it. But apparently he had underestimated their closeness, missed the intimacy they shared. Now he had something of worth to tell Lucius, their plans could move forward.

* * *

Harry was exhausted. There was no other word for the way he felt. The way his bones seemed to be made of lead and weighed his entire body down, the way his eyes couldn't seem to stay open despite his constant struggle to pay attention, all of it signaled that he was entirely too sleep deprived to be in classes. However, sleep deprived though he was, he was happy. Too happy to care too much about the gnawing exhaustion or the fact that McGonagall had taken 20 house points from him for falling asleep in her class.

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione asked him at lunch, peering worriedly into his bloodshot eyes.

"yeah mate, you're looking a bit peaky today" Ron mumbled through the food in his mouth. Hermione shot him an annoyed look and opened her mouth to berate him for speaking while eating but Harry cut her off, knowing he was entirely too tired to listen to one of their fights,

"I'm fine guys, just a bit…tired" he said hurriedly. Ron shrugged and went back to eating his lunch, Hermione, however, continued to give him looks and opened her mouth to say something but thankfully, was interrupted

"afternoon you lot of tossers" Seamus Finnegan bounded in and slung his bag under the table before taking a seat next to Harry.

"afternoon Seamus" Harry and Ron chorused, too used to his rude greetings to be shocked.

"Good afternoon Seamus" Hermione sniffed, used to his rudeness but not approving of it.

Harry sighed to himself, glad that the blonde Irishman's arrival had deterred Hermione's curiosity for a minute. He would tell his friends what had gone on the night before, just not now.

* * *

Draco was in a similar state of exhaustion as well as the lingering ache from last night's…excursion that kept him in constant discomfort. He was appalled at himself when he realized that he was falling asleep in potions and nothing short of horrified when he was woken up by an absolutely livid McGonagall during Transfiguration. She took 20 points from Slytherin and assigned him a paper detailing the many reasons why students should stay awake during classes.

Despite the punishment and the embarrassment, Draco couldn't really find it in himself to be upset. His day, which in normal circumstances would be hellish, was inescapably rose tinted; nothing could break through his blissfulness.

At lunch he glanced over at Harry and smirked slightly as he noticed his friends grilling the Golden Boy. Turning back to his own barely touched lunch he thought back to that morning and waking up in Harry's arms…

_The room was dark but for the line of ultra-bright sunlight which shot in from a gap in the curtains. Over on the bed lay Harry and Draco, intimately tangled together beneath the sheets. Draco was the first to wake, he gazed dazedly around the room in his usual early morning stupor before looking down at the sleeping form of Harry behind him. Instantly, memories of the previous night came to him and he blushed brightly but didn't take his eyes from the sleeping man next to him. _

_Harry groaned and shifted, seemingly sensing Draco's eyes on him, then very slowly opened his eyes. _

"_Morning" Draco said shyly when Harry's bleary green eyes rose to look at him. Harry smiled,_

"_Morning" he croaked. They looked at each other a moment longer, taking in each other's faces as if checking to make sure they hadn't changed since the previous night. Then Harry too sat up and drew Draco into his arms_

"_you alright?" he asked and Draco nodded,_

"_even better than alright" he murmured. _

"_It doesn't…hurt anywhere does it?" Harry asked awkwardly, holding Draco out so they could look into each other's eyes. _

"_of course it hurts a little" Draco said and laughed at Harry's dismayed look _

"_but that's a good pain, something to remind me of what we did…what you gave me last night." Harry blushed and drew Draco back into his arms,_

"_you're sure?" he asked and Draco gave a contented sigh, his eyes drifting back closed,_

"_absolutely" he replied. _

Draco smiled absently to himself at the memory, knowing it would be one he treasured his entire life. Eventually they'd had to get up and get ready for classes. It was still very early in the morning so they'd bid their goodbyes and hurried off to their respective dorms. Luckily for them, they were both able to slip in undetected. Draco had told Blaise some lie about falling asleep while studying and being out ridiculously late before hurrying off to shower and get ready. When they'd been talking about the subject at breakfast, Draco knew that Pansy hadn't bought a single word of his story and would try to wrestle it out of him later. He would tell her, after all, she knew everything that was going on anyway. He just wanted to keep it to himself to a little while longer.

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**(um, I guess I should warn you about the bit of smut below…I know some of you reading this don't really like…the smut…so just warning you. Just a wee bit of it below)**

By the time Severus had finished with his classes, eaten dinner, and managed to get down to his rooms, he was almost as antsy as a child on Christmas Eve. He needed to talk to Lucius as soon as possible and just about threw himself at the fire. But just as he was about to throw in the floo powder and fire-call Lucius' hiding place (thanking Merlin for Hogwarts' ultra-private floo system), Remus burst into his room and proceeded seduce him away from his task. Severus had discovered that, contrary to his usual meekness (full moon time aside) Remus was incredibly persuasive and aggressive when it came to sex. Before he knew what was happening, he was on his back with two of Remus' fingers doing unspeakable things to him, completely at the werewolf's mercy.

"I missed you today" Remus growled, his hot breath tickling Severus' ear.

"you were with me in this class Lupin, how could you have…ah….possibly missed me?" Snape panted, clutching at the werewolf's shoulders as another finger was added inside him.

"yes but I couldn't very well have you over your desk right in front of all your students now could I? I could barely touch you at all" Remus removed his fingers and slicked lubricant on his waiting member,

"no, we can't have both of us losing our jobs for something like that" Severus replied breathlessly. Then Remus slid into him and no talking was done for some time.

**(alright, it's safe below here, you can read from here if you want)**

Later, when Remus was in the shower and Severus, wearing the werewolf's shirt once more, was alone, he decided to fire call Lucius.

When he opened his eyes through the flame, Severus saw a forest of books. He could make some of the titles and most were books on Veela. He raised an eyebrow but snapped his attention back to Lucius who had just returned from renewing his wards.

"So Severus, what brings you to call me?" Lucius drawled when he had settled down.

"It's your son and the Potter boy" Severus replied, noticing the way that, despite his usual arrogant tone, Lucius Malfoy looked a lot worse for wear than usual.

"I suppose there's been development in their little romance? What has happened now? Have they progressed to hand holding and pet names?" anxiety always made Lucius snippy Severus remembered and nearly rolled his eyes,

"No, I do believe they're well past all that frivolity, well past what we'd initially expected at this stage Lucius" Severus nearly laughed at the shock that registered on Lucius' usually emotionless face.

"so you mean that the bond is complete?" he said, not bothering to mask his relief,

"it is indeed" Severus replied. Lucius smirked and a familiar calculating look entered his eyes,

"what are you planning now Lucius?" Severus asked, almost wary of the other man's answer.

"Severus…what do you think of…children?" Lucius asked suddenly, unexpectedly. Snape, thrown off guard, answered,

"children Lucius? You should know well what I feel about them, I'm surrounded by them all the time. Most are obnoxious whingey brats with runny noses and…"

Lucius cut him off impatiently, "no not those ones. The little ones. Babies" he said. Severus thought, _'babies?' _and was about to answer when something about the sly set of Lucius' face hit him.

"Absolutely not!" he deadpanned and instantly a scowl curled the corners of Lucius' mouth down.

"and would you care to tell me why not?" he drawled. Snape frowned,

"Throwing an innocent child into the mix Lucius? We've been cruel before, but our cruelty shouldn't extend to this"

"it isn't cruelty, it's…assistance" Lucius retorted heatedly.

"Assistance Lucius? A child is usually just a burden" Snape argued, feeling irritation grow inside him.

"yes, in usual circumstances they are. But these are not usual circumstances Severus. Drastic times call for drastic measures after all" Severus could tell that Lucius had thought long and hard on this,

"and by drastic measures you mean forcing a young and unprepared child to become impregnated in order to urge another young and unprepared child into action?" however Severus was still dead set against it.

"Draco is no longer a child and, as you yourself said, Harry Potter is no more a child than you or I. If Draco gets with child then the Potter boy's natural human instinct to protect his family will grow. The power he gains from the bond will grow as well as Draco will wish more than anything to protect his offspring! It's just one more thing to strengthen Potter's power!" Lucius argued, but Snape knew with certainty that he could never do what Lucius was asking.

"I understand what you mean Lucius, but there are far too many ways this could go wrong. Not to mention that we'd be bringing an innocent child into a world locked in battle as well as the fact that its parents are at the center of it. That's all I'll say on the matter Lucius. There are other ways to encourage Harry Potter, it's up to us to think of them" the finality of Severus' words silenced Lucius for a moment but Severus knew that he would be back with his idea. Lucius Malfoy was never one to take no for an answer.

Severus sighed and opened his mouth to speak when he heard Remus singing loudly in the bathroom. Lucius too went still for a moment before his gray eyes slid over Severus' face and a smirk replaced his previous scowl. Severus considered avoiding the other man's eyes but decided against it, knowing it would only warrant more taunting.

"Severus, Severus, Severus…I never would have known! You! Allowing someone into your private chambers?" Severus could hear the laughter in Lucius' voice and clenched his teeth.

"yes, I don't believe I've told you. There's someone with whom I have become intimate. Do try and contain your shock" he bit out. Lucius' smirk persisted and his eyes dropped down to Snape's neck where, with dawning horror, Severus realized that one of the concealing charms on a love bite was fading. Suddenly a rash of love bites were visible all along his neck and it was all Severus could do to keep a violent blush from creeping onto his cheeks.

"my, my, possessive one isn't he? It is a man isn't it? Unless it's a woman with an incredibly deep voice" Lucius' eyes raked over the love bites seemingly one by one, his infuriating smirk growing wider.

"he likes to leave these one me you see, werewolves are quite territorial" Severus said challengingly, and was pleased to see the smirk slide abruptly off Lucius' face. His eyes narrowed until they were slits in his face,

"are you referring to who I think you are referring to?" He asked. Severus raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly in response. Lucius looked slightly disgusted,

"how can you bear to be touched by that…that…animal?" he spat and Severus was surprised to feel a surge of rage rise up inside him. He too narrowed his eyes,

"Oh I bear it well Lucius, as you know, animals are known to do very well at bedsport" He was rewarded for his comment when Lucius blanched and looked away,

"spare me the details of your romance Severus. I would rather not have to bear the images they inflict on my imagination" Lucius said, sounding as if he dearly wished he could gag. Severus smiled and paused as he heard the water shut off in the bathroom,

"well, it seems as though my **lover **has finished with his shower. I'll update you if anything else comes up" Severus enjoyed Lucius' flinch and exited the fire, dousing it right before Remus walked out of the bathroom naked but for the towel around his waist, singing loudly and obnoxiously.

"BE-CAUSE! I –l-l-LOOOOOOVE yoooouuuuu!" he shouted, flinging his arms around Severus who cringed at the moisture that soaked into the shirt he wore.

"what is that song you're butchering Lupin" he asked, squirming to get out of Remus' hold.

"It's called, I hate you, I love you by the Weird Sisters. And I didn't think I was butchering it! I thought I was doing rather well!" Remus exclaimed, feigning a hurt look.

"Fine, fine, only_mildly _butchering. Happy?" Snape conceded, suppressing a smile.

"Ah Severus, you wound me!" Remus let Severus go and clutched his heart, dropping dramatically to the ground.

"get up you lazy good-for-nothing. We have lesson plans to go over and papers to grade" Severus grabbed one of Remus' hands and pulled. Remus smiled and gave one hard tug and Severus lost his balance and landed on top of the werewolf.

"Merlin what a child I've saddled myself with" Severus muttered, pushing hair out of his eyes. Remus' smile grew

"ah, but you love this child don't you Severus?" he said cheekily. Snape glared at him for a moment longer and then smirked, winding his arms around Remus' neck and leaning into his arms.

"perhaps," he agreed.

Later, as he graded papers. He thought on his conversation with Lucius.

What had the man been thinking? Bringing a baby into the mix would certainly provide more incentive for Harry to fight, but it would also put terrible pressure on the young couple. How could he condone that?

He made sure to remember to warn Harry about protection.

'_Thank Merlin for contraceptive potions and condoms' _Snape thought, raising an eyebrow as he read through yet another atrocious essay.

'_I swear, if someone hadn't invented those kinds of things the world would be overrun by brats and unprepared parents.' _He smirked as he remembered his own adolescence,

'_Even I would probably have been in trouble without contraceptive potions. Which reminds me, St. Mungo's asked me to brew some more. Thank Slytherin I don't need any, with the way Remus wants to go at it every hour of the…' _abruptly his thought process cut off. A memory came to him unbidden, it was his conversation with Remus before the full moon.

"…_a couple hundred years ago Werewolves, as you might know, were forbidden to procreate with fellow werewolves. All females were magically made sterile and, with people starting to hunt and kill werewolves for sport well…the population began to die out. As you know, a species will always want to look out for themselves, especially if it is going to become extinct. Some of the more intelligent werewolves began to experiment so they could fix the problem of our dwindling numbers. It was a man by the name of Peter Donahue who came up with a spell that would give male wolves the ability to…well…impregnate beings other than females."_

The last part of the sentence echoed in Severus' mind and he stopped grading essays, his hand crept to his stomach, a distinct and heavy feeling of dread settled like a rock in his chest.

"Lupin?" he said, hearing his voice as though it came from down a long echo-y corridor.

Remus looked up from his grading and was immediately alarmed at the extreme paleness of Severus' face.

"Severus? Are you alright?" he questioned, getting up and looking into Snape's unfocused eyes.

"I think I need to lie down…" Severus said faintly before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he dropped into Remus' arms in a dead faint.

* * *

…JEEZ! By the time I finished this, I was in my last class and typing it at 75 view so it wasn't blatant what I was doing. Hlfksvjkhsjkfhvjsdfh it's difficult being sneaky about things with a computer screen as ridiculously huge as mine. Anyway. I hope y'all liked this, there isn't too much substance in it (again) I promise I'll return to the plot next time. Ahehehehehehenyway, I'm off to studiously ignore my sociology teacher by going onto FACEBOOK! (no, I'm joking, I'm going to aim my buds)

Ciao!


	27. A second Worrying Thought

Lily: I am a bad, bad girl. But I CAN EXPLAIN (almost). It was finals, they ate me!!! And before that was a whole jumble and mess of things I was running around doing. But now it's CHRISTMAS BREAK (yes!) and I have a little over a month to loll around and do nothing! So instead of sitting around in my underwear watching Ugly Betty, eating leftovers, and wondering why I don't have a boyfriend (cries), I can WRITE FANFICTION!

* * *

_The house smelled like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, dirty laundry, and clay. Haphazardly strewn clothes made colorful slashes against the otherwise dark walls and floors of the room. Faintly he could hear the sounds of many small somethings running about, screaming and laughing at the top of their lungs. Next to him was a huge smoking pot of something he assumed was spaghetti (if the bright red sauce splatters slowly crusting on the stovetop were anything to go by)._

"_Mummy?" a small voice and a tug on the edge of the apron he suddenly found himself wearing had him looking down into the enormous golden brown eyes of a child who could have been Remus Lupin at the age of 5. Why in the world was this brat calling him 'Mummy'? Severus Snape was not somebody's 'mummy'. _

"_Muuum! Muuuuuum! Timothy broke my doll!" two identical children came clattering into the house, shouting and bickering. One was a girl with dark hair that Severus recognized as being exactly like his own, the other was a boy with similar dark hair and a fist wrapped around one of the girl's pigtails. They joined the very small Lupin lookalike, forming a small crescent around him and shouting their complaints. _

"_Mum! Guess what I did today in school!"_

"_No Mum! Listen to me first!"_

"_NO me!"_

_Severus felt the color drain from his face as three more children slammed in through the door. All were boys and all were exactly the same. They crowded around him, joining their siblings in shouting at him. Soon they all began to tug at his apron and the noise level seemed to increase to unbearable. The already smoking vat of spaghetti was now billowing great black tufts of smoke and somewhere in the house, an alarm was going off. The earsplitting shrieking of the alarm joined the noise of the 6 children vying for his attention and Severus began to feel dizzy. _

_Suddenly the fireplace beside him roared to life, from the emerald flames the unfamiliar face of a round cheeked man came forward. _

"_Ah, Mr. Lupin, it's good that you're here. The scan results have come back, it seems you're having triplets again! Goodness, I never expected you to be this fertile! Well, come down to the office for your checkup tomorrow and we can tell the good news to your husband! I'll see you then!" and the man who Severus assumed was a doctor disappeared. The fire died down. Severus felt woozy, __**triplets**__? But how could he be having triplets!? He looked down at himself and, where he was sure ten seconds ago was flat and lean like usual, found that his stomach had ballooned outwards, swollen and bulging out against his apron, a firm curve and a solid weight where before there had been nothing. _

"_Mummy, can I touch the babies first!?" one of the children said, and this set off a chorus of _

"_no me first!"_

"_no me!"_

_Severus felt strength leaving his body and he staggered against the wall and slid down, the children surrounded him, their high pitched voices all saying things that were beyond Severus' current power of comprehension. He felt his world melting away from him as if rushing down a long tunnel. The voices of the children melded together into one sound and then disappeared, and the image of the chaotic messy room melted away._

"_Severus!" a voice was calling his name. _

"_Severus! Wake up!" now why would he want to do a thing like that? Wake up and return to that horrible place!? Return to that roomful of screaming brats!? Return to being ridiculously pregnant with three more!? He could never, would never return to that place! Never, never, never…_

"NEVER!" Severus yelled and opened his eyes wide, sitting up suddenly. Remus jumped back to avoid being hit and stared as Severus swiveled wildly in the bed, eyes looking around the room as if searching for some unseen beast.

"Severus! Are you alright!?" Remus said, but it didn't seem like the other man could hear him.

"Merlin save me" Snape mumbled, his hands going to his midriff to feel for the enormous baby bulge. It wasn't there, he sighed and relaxed, slowly lying back down on the bed. He looked over at Remus who was giving him a cautious stare,

"you can stop worrying Lupin. I just…had a bad dream" Snape sighed, absently rubbing a hand over his (thankfully flat) stomach.

"You looked like you were dying" Remus commented, "you kept on mumbling strange things like, 'get away' and 'not triplets!'."

"I told you it was just a bad dream, a nightmare really" Severus bit out, embarrassed at having been overheard sounding so pathetic.

"Sounds like quite the nightmare. What was it about?" Remus leaned in, eyes questioning.

'_I can't tell him what that dream was about until I've run some tests. I can't put ideas into that mutt head of his' _Severus thought,

"being the head of Gryffindor house and having Weasley triplets instead of twins" he said and Remus threw back his head and let out a roaring laugh that did funny things in Severus' stomach,

"Only you would have a nightmare about something like that. Well, Poppy says you passed out because of stress and exhaustion, she's confined you to your bed for two days" Remus said, Severus scowled darkly

"that woman, she uses every excuse she can get to have me a bedridden invalid" he muttered. Remus laughed again and leaned in close,

"don't be cranky love, she knows as well as I that putting you in bed and keeping you there is the only way you'll get any rest. Though…" and here he leaned in closer so that his lips brushed Severus' ear "my way and her way are, shall we say…different?" Severus shivered and felt his face heat up,

"s-stop fooling around Lupin, we're in an infirmary!" he snapped, not daring to look at the other man. Remus sighed and drew back,

"unfortunately, this is the case. So I will nip back down to your rooms, grab the lesson plans, and have a look at them since, for the next two days, I am going to be the substitute Potions Master" he said, standing up and stretching. Severus' scowl deepened and he shot Lupin a glare, the werewolf only smiled at him as he began to leave the room,

"don't give me that look" he said "I won't mess things up…_much_" and exited.

Severus, left alone in the infirmary, couldn't help but think that, somehow, something was about to go terribly wrong.

* * *

"Draco Malfoy, you are hiding something from me!"

Pansy's declaration was met with a blank stare. The same blank stare Draco had had on his face all day.

"Draco!" Pansy cried, waving her arms in front of his face,

"it's no use Pans, he's like an inferius, nothing gets through to him" Blaise drawled from where he sat. They were in the Slytherin common rooms after dinner and Pansy, having waited all day to ask Draco what had happened to put him in his state of brainlessness, was about to lose her patience.

"You shut up Blaise!" Pansy snapped, and Blaise only shrugged and went back to reading,

"Draco! Draco I swear if you don't snap out of it and answer me _right now_…" Pansy's face was reddening and she really was about to lose it when suddenly Draco turned to her, a completely un-Malfoy smile on his face,

"Pansy…I've…I've something to tell you" he said dreamily and then looked around,

"but not here, come with me to my rooms…you too Blaise" and he got up and walked to his rooms, looking as if he was floating on clouds. Pansy looked at Blaise and Blaise looked back, both shrugged and followed the blonde to his room.

When they were all seated on Draco's bed and there were locking and silencing charms on the room, Draco took a deep breath and stared at the two of them.

"Pansy…Blaise…the two of you are my very best of friends so I feel that you should know…that…" he trailed off, suddenly looking embarrassed. Pansy rolled her eyes,

"that what!? Stop stalling, come on, tell us" Pansy leaned forward expectantly and waited for Draco to continue.

"Come on Draco, it's not like you're going to tell us you've some embarrassing rash in an unspeakable place" Blaise said, smirking. Draco turned and gave him a glare that could have stripped paint off walls,

"_Malfoys_" he said venomously "_do __**not **__get rashes_"

Pansy made an impatient noise and Draco turned back to her (after throwing one last scathing look at Blaise).

"Alright fine! Last night…HarryandIhadsex!" he said in a rush. Pansy and Blaise sat back in shock and for a full five minutes, no one made a sound. Then Pansy clapped her hands to either side of her face and squealed before tackling Draco to the bed,

"OH MY GOD! My little Draco finally DID IT!!" she screamed, hugging him hard as he tried to squirm out of her grasp. Blaise was laughing,

"so, Potter finally bit the bullet eh!? Finished the job? Popped your cherry? Took your V?" he cackled and Pansy threw a pillow at his head,

"shutup Blaise! Don't make fun of him! OOOH Draco! I'm so proud of you!" she gushed and continued to (strangle) hug him and squeak in that way only girls could do.

Draco heaved a miserable sigh and hoped that, wherever Harry was telling his best friends, he was having a similarly embarrassing time of it.

* * *

Harry was indeed having an embarrassing time of things. When it came to subjects involving romance and the like, he, Ron, and Hermione seemed to have a sort of block that made it close to impossible to easily talk about it. It wasn't that they didn't trust each other, quite the opposite really, they were all so close that talk of romance was slightly embarrassing. The feeling, Harry thought, was quite like what telling Mrs. Weasley (the closest he had to a mother) what went on between him and Draco. And so, when the time came to tell his friends that he and Draco had finally done "it", they went through ten minutes of excruciatingly awkward silence before Hermione spoke.

"Harry…you wanted tot ell us something?" she said gently, trying not the sound impatient. She and Ron were seated on Harry's bed while he paced the dorm.

"Yeah mate, if you've something to say that can't be overheard, you might want to hurry, the rest of them won't stay out of the room forever" Ron pointed out. Both resumed giving him expectant looks. Harry sighed deeply and ran his hand through his hair for the thousandth time,

"Ok you two, I do have something to tell you, but you've got to promise you won't be embarrassing about it" he said. Hermione and Ron looked at each other and then back at him, both nodded solemnly

"we promise" Ron said. Harry squeezed his eyes shut and steeled himself,

"alright…ok…well, I wanted to tell you, since you're my two very best friends and I think you deserve to know, but…last night…Draco and I…"

"Merlin's drooping wrinkly balls Harry James Potter you finally DID IT didn't you!?" Ron burst out before Harry could finish his sentence. Everyone froze and Hermione, red faced at Ron's profanity, was giving him an incredulous "I can't believe you just said that" look. Ron, noticing his outburst, flushed and settled down,

"er…continue Harry" he said sheepishly. Harry raised an eyebrow at him and then laughed,

"well, I was going to phrase it more delicately than Ron did but yes, Draco and I did…do…er…_that_ last night" he said. Ron shot up from the bed and clapped Harry on the back,

"Good on mate! Finally did the dirty deed, our little Harry's all grown up" he said and laughed and ducked when Harry aimed a punch in his direction. Hermione stood and gave him a stern look,

"Is Draco alright after…that? Did you check him and make sure to…er…clean up?" she said, managing to retain her sternness though her face was bright red. Harry too blushed and nodded,

"he said he felt fine after, we were both just…just tired" he replied. Ron flopped down on the bed and sighed,

"aaah, I'm happy for you mate. And finally, you're not so tense anymore" he said. Harry turned to him,

"have I been very tense?" he asked,

"could have snapped you in half if I hit you right" Ron replied. Harry laughed,

"I didn't realize. But, but thanks for not being…you know…weirded out by this or anything" he said, sobering up. Hermione gave him a hug,

"of course we wouldn't be weirded out by it Harry, we already know that he's the one you love, romantically or physically, we have no problem with it." She said. Ron stood and awkwardly patted his shoulder,

"yeah mate…whether its with a bloke or a goat, it's your happiness that matters" he said, trying not to look anyone in the eye as he said such embarrassingly girly words. Harry laughed,

"goats?" he said, Ron blushed

"well, you know what I mean!" he said and the three of them dissolved into laughter.

A little later, as they sat together in the common room doing homework, Hermione suddenly looked up at Harry as if remembering something.

"Harry," she said, sounding perturbed "Draco's mating season has begun hasn't it?" Harry looked at her quizzically, wondering why she was asking,

"yeah, it started just a few nights ago, why?" he replied.

"Harry…did you and Draco, when you…you know…did you use, er…_protection_?" she was pink in the cheeks as she asked her question but seemed to need to know the answer very urgently, Harry closed his eyes and thought of that night,

"um…no, I don't think we did, why?" he said, noting the way Hermione's face paled at his answer.

"Harry! How could you have done that without using some sort of contraceptive!?" Hermione whispered furiously. Harry frowned slightly,

"well, it's not as if we planned it out, I wasn't carrying anything on me. Besides, its not as if Draco can…Draco…can…" he trailed off, paling very quickly, Hermione gave him a grim look and finished his sentence,

"Draco can have babies"

* * *

The castle was old and broken down, its stones covered in grime and moss, its halls filthy with dirt and thick dust. Cracks in the walls made the place drafty and cold and allowed in the various creatures that lived around it. Such a poor and dilapidated building was unfit to house any but the lowest of creatures.

Wormtail, surveying the castle that would be his new home until his master wished to leave, couldn't help but feel disgust. The castle was not far from Hogsmeade Village and Hogwarts could be seen in the distance from the topmost tower, where his master would reside. Bitterly, Wormtail turned away from the image of Hogwarts, there was no use in regretting the past at this point. He had chosen his path and would now have to walk it, he expected no redemption, he didn't even expect to live for much longer. The Dark Lord's decline in health could only be attributed to his initial weakness for so long, soon he would begin to suspect, and the only one close enough to him to have done anything was Wormtail himself. And when that time came, Wormtail would surely die.

"_Wormtail! Bring me my potion!_" the Dark lord rasped from another room, and the short cowardly man closed his thoughts and stored them in the farthest recesses of his mind, the only bright place left where memories of his days at Hogwarts and his time with his erstwhile best friends still lay.

"c-c-coming m-m-master!" he stuttered, and stirred the potion once more, before he spooned some into a cup, he crushed and added in the Jay Leaf. He watched the tiny particles disappear into the potion, another dose of poison that brought the man who had brought so much ruin to the world, who had guided Wormtail himself down a path of betrayal and bloodshed, just one step closer to death.

* * *

Lily: Ok, I'm sorry, it was short, but I promise that the next will be longer. Mostly this chapter was more was just more realization and the like. I can't let characters go gallivanting about and then end up with babies (oh the recent media splash about certain celeb teens who are having certain problems involving babies just make me want to run around telling my younger siblings "don't have sex!"). Anyway, now I've to work on The Way We Love in time for CHRISTMASSSSSSSS! Eurgm, Happy Holidays my loves, I hope yours are filled with loveliness…snow…and other nice things (I have no snow, West Texas is snow retardant). 


	28. Small Happenings

Lily: Do you lot sense how much I love you? I don't think you can, because I love you enough to forego watching eps 5-7 of ISWAK2 and write this lovely chapter for you. How's that? Anyway, I'm warning y'all now, this chapter is heinously short. But that's because I felt bad for not having had anything in a while so I typed this out for you. I'm heading into my first round of tests too so I figured I wouldn't have enough time. This is just a little something to tide you over for a bit.

* * *

Chapter 28: Small Happenings

* * *

Sarah was a beautiful child, just shy of eight years old, she was as angelic as any painted cherub. Her skin was white and soft as petals, barely colored with a fading pink flush. Her flaxen hair fell in golden waves from her head, lying against her closed eyes and still throat. One little hand was curled around the slightly smaller hand of little Alex, her younger brother. Alex was blessed with similar cherubic beauty, his hair was shorter than his sister's and curled wildly atop his head. His eyes were open, they stared out at the world, a dazzling blue; one could only assume Sarah's eyes were the same beautiful color. Of course, now there was really no way to tell.

She was, after all, dead.

"You didn't have to kill them Fenrir", two adults clothed entirely in black gazed coldly upon the still bodies

"they made so much noise though, and they looked so easy to break" the werewolf licked his lips, the memory of their deaths playing briefly in his mind. His partner threw him a disgusted look,

"they were children, of course they were easy to break!" he snapped, Fenrir scowled at the other man,

"what's got your knickers in a bunch? They were just muggles!" he snarled.

"They were just muggles but muggles who will be missed you complete fool! Now their disappearance will go to the muggle papers and surely that old fool at Hogwarts will catch wind of it and then he will know we are on the move and alert his dogs. You've left a trail **wolf**!" Fenrir scowled deeper, unwilling to admit that the other man was right.

"Well…well it's only one disappearance, muggle children go missing all the time. There will be no need for that old man to feel suspicious" in a fit of anger, the werewolf kicked at one of the children's still forms. The body of little Sarah flew fifteen feet before hitting a tree and falling limply to the ground.

"ah" Fenrir said, grinning, apparently satisfied by the crunch of breaking bones "now, let's not argue. We should be on our way towards Hogsmeade, the Dark Lord awaits" he licked his lips and his partner rolled his eyes.

"Don't pretend as if you anticipate being reunited with our Master, you only anticipate the bloodshed" Fenrir didn't even try to deny this, he threw back his shaggy head and let loose a loud gravely laugh that echoed off the trees of the forest they stood in.

"That's the truth my friend, how well you know me!" he exclaimed, and began to walk.

His companion trailed behind him, lost in thought.

'_Greyback is a fool' _he mused, watching the werewolf slash his way through the brush _'the disappearance of two muggle children is common enough but once they are found, and with the smell and marks of a werewolf on them, Dumbledore will begin to suspect and then he will run his tests and discover the assailant and when that happens, he will surely be even more on his guard than ever' _

Ahead on the trail Fenrir could be heard slaughtering then tossing aside an animal of sorts. The other death eater simply shook his head and walked on.

* * *

Severus Snape was drenched in sweat. His back and arms hurt and his feet were beginning to throb. The room was stifling, like a sauna with the heat on too high. He was sure he had sweated out about half of his body weight and he still had at least twelve batches more to go.

"Merlin save me" he groaned and stirred his cauldron eight more times, meticulously pacing his rotations. Why, why, why, had he agreed to make those contraceptive potions!? Thirty batches of contraceptive for St. Mungos, Four for the Potter brat, and a few for himself was entirely too much to squeeze into one weekend. Add brewing the "you know what" test to the mix and Severus knew he wouldn't be out of his room nearly at all that weekend. On Friday when classes were done, he had kicked a protesting Remus out insisting that he swore he would rest but not with the werewolf in the room with him, and had proceeded to brew potions until late in the night.

-Ding-

His timer went off, that meant that the "you know what" test potion was ready. Taking a deep breath, he waved his wand to bottle the stuff and waved it again to empty the cauldron. Waving his wand once more to lower the heat of the flame beneath the simmering contraceptive, he tucked the vial containing the test into his robes and hurried out of the potions room and towards his own rooms.

* * *

Remus was bored, too bored. He'd been sniffing around the potions room, in which Severus had locked himself on Friday and fro which he had yet to emerge, all day. Heaving a heavy sigh, he turned to go to his own room, giving up for the day, then the potions door opened and Severus rushed out.

"Severus?" Remus whispered, watching the troubled looking potions master look shiftily around before hurrying off towards his rooms. Remus looked after him for a minute before deciding to follow him. Severus did not look to good.

* * *

In the safety of his bathroom, Severus took out the potion. It was a slightly glowing blue that seemed reminiscent of summer days or cool forest ponds. But none of those came to his mind as he peered at it in the gloom of the bathroom.

"this is ridiculous" he said to himself, giving the vial a slight shake,

"let's just do it" he gave a deep breath and swallowed the potion.

It tasted pleasantly like fruit and went down his throat smoothly. Briefly he smirked to himself, another perfect Severus Snape potion. Then he remembered what the potion was for (and why he had to take it) and sobered quickly.

"Now," he murmured "to wait"

He walked out of the bathroom and came face to face with a worried looking Remus Lupin.

* * *

"What are you doing in here!?" Remus flinched at the snapped question and tried to answer but Severus interrupted him,

"never mind Lupin, I suppose you got worried or something foolish like that" he said and sidestepped the other man to continue into the room. Remus turned to follow him into the bedroom,

"well, that was mostly it, but I also wanted to just see you. You've been locked in that potions room since Friday" the werewolf said. Severus flinched as he felt the potion becoming increasingly colder in his stomach.

"Well Lupin, as you can see, there's nothing wrong with me. You may go now" the potion's chill was becoming unbearable, he needed to lie down, but if he did then Remus would know something was wrong.

"Don't lie to me Severus, you look like…well, like you've been run over by a hippogriff and then hung out to dry" Reus said dryly. Severus scowled,

"not all of us have the time to primp themselves to _apparent _attractiveness in the mornings Lupin" he snapped. Remus, used to Severus' prickliness, only smiled at this,

"I'm just saying Severus, you look terrible. You should lie down" Severus decided to use this opening and, with a careful blend of impatience and unwillingness, flung himself onto the bed.

"There Lupin, I'm on the bed, does this satisfy your incessant need to mother me?" he said. Remus raised an eyebrow and smirked, Severus' stomach did an odd little flip,

"oh, when you're on the bed, it's not _mothering _I have the need to do to you" he said. Severus scowled to hide the sudden burst of pleasure that rushed up inside him,

"well, there's no need for that kind of behavior just at the moment" he said. Remus leaned over him on the bed and slid his hands up Severus' body. The other man stiffened,

"are you sure about tha…" Remus began to say but stopped when his hands touched Severus', by now icy cold, stomach.

"Merlin Severus! Your stomach is like a glacier!" he exclaimed, his hands covering Severus' narrow navel and feeling the unnatural cold there. Severus shivered, but not because of the cold in his stomach, because of Remus' hands on his, currently sensitive, stomach.

"Are you sick? Why is your stomach this cold?" Remus was still worrying, his hands felt extremely warm against Severus' skin. The potions master looked down at his stomach, the skin exposed as Remus had pushed his shirt away. Both men's eyes widened upon seeing the normally pale skin start to glow a faint blue.

"Thank Merlin!" Severus breathed. It was blue, the nice blue which meant that there was no Little Lupin making its home in his body.

"Alright, do you want to tell me what's going on?" Remus asked. Severus suddenly found his situation funny and chuckled,

"I took a…a….well, a pregnancy test" he explained. Remus stopped breathing for a minute then he grabbed Severus by the shoulders,

"A p-p-pregnancy test!?" he gasped, his eyes wide. Severus nodded, suddenly nervous.

"The results?" Severus took a deep breath.

"Well, you're not going to be anyone's father anytime soon" he said. Remus let out the breath he seemed to have been holding,

"that's good" he said, before realizing what he said and hurrying to correct himself "I mean, it's not that I wouldn't love to have little ones with you. Just…just not now" Severus nodded,

"don't worry" he said "I had nightmares about it. I'm not ready for that kind of thing either. There's still too much to do"

Remus resumed running his hands along Severus' navel, moving in comforting circles,

"but from now on, you'll have to take that contraceptive potion and tell me when you're not…you know…on it" he said, looking uncomfortable at having to talk about it. Severus gave him a small smirk,

"of course, I don't want a houseful of brats running around because _someone _couldn't control himself" Remus swatted him lightly and they both laughed.

* * *

Lily: Like I said, this chapter is SHORT! Um, I'll try hard to write the next one, but there really won't be much time. Tests and all (and my BIRTHDAY!!!!!) I would like to extend a particular thank you to one reviewer, **malfoy harry. **I think you have the longest review streak on this story and you were also, I believe, my 600th review! Your questions and comments are really nice to read after a hard day in class and all and I really like that you've stuck with this story. I love your reviews and I hope you'll stick with me through the end.

And, as always, the rest of you reviewers, watchers, anonymous readers, I thank you and love you all! I hope you keep on enjoying my fic.


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